Brotherhood of the Wolf
by Male Author
Summary: Li Xiao-Lang, lost his father and his sister due to a mysterious attack. He decides to avenge his father and go after the Kinomotos, the ones he think are responsible. He meets a girl and falls in love with her not knowing she's the enemy. Rated R for Vio
1. Memories

I was thinking of a way to get this fic back on the road for a while now, and I didn't know exactly how to do it. I think this will help a little. I really needed to sort out all my ideas…Sorry for the really late update but I didn't really know how to do this anymore and I was focusing on my other fic… I'll also edit all the chapters. I might change a couple of things.

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**Memories**

"Sakura!" A beautiful woman called out. Her striking silver mane glimmered in the sun, the light she emitted almost the suns.

"Kaa-san!" A young Sakura jumped out of a rose bush to run to her mother. The woman opened her arms and caught her in mid air.

"Why Sakura aren't you happy today!" They both laughed happily hugging each other tenderly. "May I know why you're so excited?" Sakura looked up and nodded cheerfully.

"I saw someone in my dream today and…" She blushed and seemed to hesitate. Nadeshiko smiled to encourage her and get her to continue.

"I saw a wolf! He was so beautiful. He was howling at the moon. He sounded so sad" Nadeshiko's expression changed. She knew it wasn't an ordinary dream.

"And then something weird happened kaa-san…Something really strange, the wolf changed into a boy. I couldn't see his face but his eyes shined in the dark. When I looked into them I felt all goody-goody. Is it how it feels to fall in love kaa-san?" Nadeshiko looked at her daughter surprised. She laughed unreservedly, Sakura looked at her weirdly.

"Why would my 7 year old daughter be thinking about love?" She asked her suspiciously. Sakura fidgeted and looked up at her mother shyly.

"You know this painting in the throne room…"

"The painting of the Li royal family?" She nodded.

"I asked Touya who the boy on the picture was and he laughed at me saying that I was too young to look for a lover…" She explained.

"Oh! Is that so? And can you tell me why you wanted to meet this boy?" Sakura looked away from her mother.

"I never said I wanted to meet him!" She replied nervously.

"What if I told you I could get your father to arrange a visit for us?"

"Really! When?" Sakura jumped on her mother.

"Oh…Why are you so excited? I though you didn't want to meet him."

"Mou! Kaa-san don't tease me too!"

"I'll only help you if you tell me why you want to meet this boy."

"The boy on the picture reminds me of the one in my dream…They have the same eyes…"

"Really? Interesting…" She looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes.

"You know…Sakura-san I'm sure you'll get to meet him someday…" Sakura looked like she was about to cry.

"But…Kaa-san you said you'd take me there…" She whined. Nadeshiko took her on her lap and stoke her hair.

_**Sakura's POV**_

"I know Sakura-chan but I don't think I'll be able to keep that promise…But I'm sure that someday, you'll be able to meet your prince." I looked up at my mother and for the first time, I noticed how pale and fragile she looked.

My mother died a couple of weeks after that. I couldn't help but feel at that time that she knew she was going to leave. My mother always told me how someday, like her; I'd meet my prince charming. That he'd sweep me off my feet on his glorious white horse. I didn't know how right she was.

I didn't know this prince was the one in my dreams, the one whose eyes haunted me night and day. The young prince who'd defy and conquer all the countries of the east and who'd come to be know as a legend.

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**Male Author**

_Born to be the champ, after the girls that is..._


	2. A Rude Awakening

Hey!sup evryone. This is my first fic so bear with me after I'll be the greatest Male author so you better respect me (-). I've never actually done anything like this... English is my second language and ummmm welll no flames for the first chapter at least hehehehe...

_Disclaimer:_ I own CCS (in my dreams) I own Li (in my dreams itoo) and I own this story (I don't have money to copyright it though so don't steal it plz...)

**A Rude Awakening**

Dawn was just upon the little Li Kingdom as the young Li Xiao-Lang took his daily stroll on the country side.

"Humph! I wonder what dad's up to running off like this to some random village with the royal guard. He seemed panicked; Mother didn't want to tell me what it was about. I can't believe them! I'm the prince of this country after all. I have the right to know!"

He stopped talking to himself as he felt his horse tense under him. Something was up and it just had to be somewhere around here!

"What is it Ping? Is something wrong?"

He looked up at the horizon, and then suddenly he saw it. Smoke was coming from the east. He almost fell off his saddle as realization suddenly hit him.

"That direction...Dad left in that direction yesterday! Kami-sama please let him be okay!"

He whistled and Ping, his whitehorse, made a mad dash for the path. On his way there he saw a sign on the side of the road with the words "Sung Village" written in Chinese characters.

"This is where Tomoyo went last week to find medical herbs! No wonder Dad was so nervous, somebody tell me what happened damn it! Sister, Father be strong I'm on my way.

Ping picked up the pace as he felt Xiao's anxiety, He was almost there but he neither saw nor heard anything that could reassure him. The village was burning! He could already see it from that distance but, there were no signs of life coming from the flames. Nothing! He saw nothing but burning shacks and vegetation ahead.

"What happened here? This isn't normal...the villagers... they just vanished! What if...what if they were attacked! No it couldn't be...Father had theroyal guard with him they surelywould've protected Father if some bandits showed u..."

At that moment he noticed something moving on the side of the road. And it looked like a soldier of the royal guard. He was badly injured and his uniform was covered in blood. It seemed that he had seen him coming his way for he had stopped crawling and was waving in his direction. He jumped off his horse and quickly made his way to the wounded soldier.

"Soldier! The village...look at you...you're a mess don't worry you'll make it. Just...just hang on."

Xiao-Lang was visibly panicked, the wounds looked really... He was rambling, trying to comfort the young soldier but was only failing badly since fear was written all over his face. He was wondering what could've happened to the village. The soldier's raspy voice woke him from his train of thoughts

"Th..they were all killed, the villagers, the guards, y...your highness; your father , the king, also fell in battle. I'm sorry I failed his majesty."

Xiao-Lang's eyes widened at the news. His facial expression hardened. He tried hard not to cry and listened to what the young warrior had to say.

"Your father knew it was going to happen but they still caught us by surprise. They came out of nowhere, we were surprised and we weren't able to hold them off and your father ordered us to cover the escape of the villagers and her highness, your sister, but they completely surrounded us...It was horrible they slaughtered all the villagers, the children, the women... And we couldn't...pr-protect them.

"And my sister, what happened to her."

"They took her, milord"

"Who's they, tell me who attacked the village, is my sister alright!"

"I think she is, your highness, I don't think the Kinomotos hurt her"

"The Kinomotos! Those monsters what did we ever do to them."

Li shouted as anger suddenly took him over. He turned around and saw the burning village. The soldier's story suddenly hit him full force. His father was dead... He still hadn't realized what itreallymeant. His body was out there in that village left to feed the wild animals. He had to retrieve his father's body and give him a proper burial.

"What's your name soldier?"

"Kensuke, Akino (AN: this looks like my name japanized lol. My Korean friend calls me Kensuke.) your highness"

"Kensuke can you tell me where my father fell..."

"You're highness I didn't actually see him fall but...I assumed..since he was left behind to cover our retreat that he couldn't have held them off..."

"You mean that you aren't even sure that he's dead! I'm going to find him and bring him back here; you just stay next to Ping."

"I do not think that it's a good idea sire, you shouldn't get your hopes up, and the village is...you...shouldn't. Those soldiers I'm not sure all of them pulled out."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine Akino."

He turned around to see the young soldier crying like an enfant, he had seen horrendous things during the attack and he couldn't hold the emotions in anymore. Li felt sad for him, the scenes of this afternoon would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. He turned back towards the town and he suddenly started shaking.

"Now's not the time to chicken out Xiao you must summon up all the courage you possess to reclaim what was taken from you. If you don't do it now you know that you'll regret it later..."

He sighed as he started to walk towards the blazing houses. He made his way through the streets walking over cadavers along the way. He suddenly felt very nauseous. The stench was horrible, it smelled like burnt meat. The sizzling sound of the bodies cooking next to the burning houses was driving him insane. This was hell! Now he was sure of it, he should've listened to Kensuke, he should've... There was no sign of his father maybe...he had survived after all! He making his way towards the park next to the now completely destroyed mayor'smansion when he saw his father standing in the middle of the street. He almost looked like a ghost.

"FATHER! You made it, I'm gla..."

"X-Xiao I, h-how did you get here..."

"Father you're hurt we have to get you out of here the scouts should've spotted the smoke already I'm sure they've already sent some soldiers to come to our aid... We have to get you out of here quick...this smoke isn't good for you."

"Xiao I'm sorry"

"What are you tal..."

"Tell you're mother that I love her very much. I couldn't save her Xiao they took her away..."

"Why are you saying things like that father we'll make it! I'll get you out of here."

Xiao-Lang knew the moment that he looked at the wound that his father wouldn't make it. He seemed to be holding onto something. He felt his eyes water...no... he couldn't...he wouldn't cry in front of his father. He had to be strong for him!

"He he he cough cough at least I managed to save this little fellow, I want you to take care of him..."

"No father don't talk this way. Hang on!" he sobbed

"I wanted you to know that I'm very proud of you my son...stay strong no matter what"

"Father ..."

"FATHER!"

Xiao panicked as he felt his father's body settle down in his arms. He was slipping away! And there was nothing he could do about it. He heard a whimper. His father was off to join his ancestors. He had to honor him a proper burial. No he couldn't he couldn't touch him, he couldn't believe that he was gone! Those Kinomotos had taken the life of the person he loved most on this planet. He would get revenge! Anger flowed through his veins he couldn't control himself anymore he thrashed about destroying whatever he could get his hands on. The Li Kingdom was known has neutral land. They had no army or whatsoever, what threat were they to a powerful military force like the Kinomotos. They were neutral, neutral damn it!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGH"

Raw energy flowed through him as his aura radiated a brilliant green. Energy bolts zapping and destroying the buildings around him. The sky itself bowed down before him as the clouds concentrated above him. He had no control over himself, he had never felt that way before, he had never seen or felt this kind of power before but one thing was clear to him, _he liked the feeling!_

"grrrrrrrrrrr..."

He turned around ready to strike at whatever had growled. But what he saw completely shocked him...

**_Somewhere north of the village..._**

"I take it that everything went on as planned? That fool Ryun took my bait.Do you have the girl?"

2 shadows appear out of the forest carrying an unconscious Tomoyo to the snickering man. His face isn't visible to the viewer but, we can clearly see an evil smile creep on his face. He strokes Tomoyo's face tenderly

"Very good, you played your roles admirably...It's almost time."

"Commander, this tremor a couple of minutes ago..."

The evil smile vanishes off the evil's man face. He turns around to face what seems to be a soldier.

"The boy has more power than I thought; even you who don't possess any magical abilities felt his power. This could be harder than I thought."

The malevolent grin once again makes its way on the man's face

"Yet...even with all that potential; he wouldn't last long against me. That fool has no control over the mystical energies. They flow chaotically through his body. And I doubt that anyone in the Li Kingdom possess the skill to train him. He shouldn't pose a threat to the realization of my projects."

He didn't know how wrong he was. Destiny had surprises in store for our amber eyed hero. He would live to be the greatest warriors of all times (_An:Tche! I hate it when Sakura is strong and Li's a wuss so there! He'll be **godly **my fic_).

_2 months later..._

A beautiful woman yelled out someone's name as she walked through the halls of a Mansion. She seemed to be looking for somebody. This beautiful woman was called Yelan Li, Mother of Li Xiao-Lang and widow of Ryun Li, Queen of the Li Kingdom. She was looking for her depressed son who had run away from the incineration of his deceased father. He hadn't taken the death of his father and the disappearance of his younger sister quite well. She couldn't help but feel sad for her only son. The two persons he loved most in the entire Kingdom had been taken away from him.

"Sight Xiao...where are you hiding?"

Xiao stood in the middle of a garden, far away from the mourning crowd, from his mother but not from the nightmares that had haunted him for the last two months. He couldn't run away from these thoughts anymore. This was his father's garden. He lovedtotake care of these flowers. He almosttreated themlike family members, sharing his thoughts with them, discussing about various things. He remembered how his mother would get jealous because of all the time he spent with those flowers instead of her. The peonies, the tulips, the plum blossoms they all had a special a special meaning to him...The flowers he admired the most for his part were the cherry blossoms. He felt a peculiar attraction for these frail looking flowers (AN: wink wink guess what this is about). It felt weird to be in this garden without seeing his father walking around between the flowers picking some peonies or plum blossoms for his mother and Tomoyo.He'd missthose happy days .

"Father...I miss you, why did you have to leave us?"

He needed to do something about them. But what? He couldn't bring his father back...But he still had Tomoyo! She was still alive, the Kinomotos had her. He had to keep believing. It would be hard. He couldn't beat the Kinomotos and their allies, his country wasn't strong enough and they didn't have the weapons to arm a big army anyhow. Even his father, had fallen before their brutal strength. The finest blade of the kingdom couldn't even protect the little village. What did he hope to achieve by attacking one of the greatest military force of the continent? He would surely die trying. But he knew he had to stand up to the Kinomotos. The pride of his nation was at stake.

growl

He turned around to see the little white pup who was trying to catch his attention. He was running around in vicious circles. He always tried to cheer him up. Maybe he was a parting gift from his father. After all he was the one who gave it to him. At first he hadn't believed that an artic wolf (AN: _You know something like a Husky, I love those dogs they're so cool!_) would've been able to survive in the Li Kingdom's tropical climate but he seemed to fair pretty well.

"When I think about it, I haven't given you a name yet no? What should I call you?"

He looked into his blue eyes; they always managed to calm him down. There was something about those eyes, something almost magical.

"Yue..."

bark

"W-whaaa... I zoned out again. Seems like I tend to do that a lot when I look into those eyes of yours."

bark bark

"Alright alright Yue it is then."

"Ha ha ha seems like you like that name"

"Xiao-Lang!"

Yelan stood in front of the door that led to the garden panting slightly. She had been looking for him all over the castle she had never guessed that he'd be here of all places. He was talking with that mutt again. Had that mutt taken her place as a confident? She suddenly felt a wave of jealousy. He was sad, confused but he wasn't sharing his thoughts with her. He was all that was left to her now, _the only man in the house_. Since his father had passed away. Yet he acted so much like him some times, never relying on others or sharing their problems with flowers or mutts. She felt his pain.

"Xiao...you've been hurting... so much my son..."

Tears where now flowing freely on her face. She had to help him no matter what. Or he would live in the past for the rest of his life. She had to do it, for her husband, he never would've wanted his son to regret his departure.

"Yet you don't allow yourself to forget"

His mother's words hit him like boulders. He suddenly felt sad. He was so angry that he had forgotten to grieve his father. He was ashamed of himself. He was thinking of revenge instead of his father. Tears slowly made their way to his eyes. But he wouldn't shed a single tear. He had to be strong for his father and for Tomoyo! Yelan slowly walked towards him.

"It's alright son, it's ok to cry..."

"Tears help the soul forget the pain."

"You know that you're father wouldn't want you to feel this miserable..."

Xiao tried as hard as he could not to cry

"I found something I'm sure your father would've wanted you to have"

She showed him his father's magical compass. It was his father's most prized possession. His father w-was g-gone! Tears flowed wildly; he couldn't hold them back anymore. He would cry just this once. Yelan made her way to her son.

"You'll see my little wolf everything will be fine now."

_1 week later_

He still couldn't believe he had cried like that in front of his mother. But it had helped greatly; his mind was at peace now. He hadn't seen the nightmares since then. He could focus on the matters at hand now. To save his sister and to get revenge for his father, that was his goal now. But he still hadn't gotten a clue as to how he would get the strength or even the army to perform such an awesome task. He was walking in the halls when he heard two soldiers talking. They seemed to be debating on some trivial matter. He quickly hid behind a statue and listened.

"I heard it was the Kinomotos who attacked that village."

"Yes, I guess, but I still don't understand why they attacked that village though. If they wanted to invade us they could've simply attacked the capital. They only attacked some remote village. It must mean that it was planned from the start! They knew that the Princess Tomoyo and the King were in the vill..."

"Stop talking nonsense Kenji! How could've they known, it's not like we're a threat or anything. We were attacked like that and we're too scared to even react. Such a pity we have to cower down and let them bully us."

"Watch your tongue or I'll make sure that you're not able to use it again. Why would you need it anyways; if it's to say such vile comments. It's because of weak soldiers like you that my father passed away!"

"Y-yes your highness"

Xiao's voice rang clearly into the hallway. He looked furious, if looks could kill the squirming soldier would've been dead and buried by now. He was a nervous wreck. He dashed past the guards who looked somewhat relieved after his departure.When they were sure that the prince was far ahead, they started talking again"

"What's up with him anyways he knows that I'm right."

"Shut up Koji! You've put us through enough trouble already."

"Tche! Whatever..."

Xiao ran into his room and slammed the door behind him. He couldn't believe soldiers of the royal guard thought that way about the attack of the Kinomotos. What good was it to prepare an offensive to free his sister and avenge his father's death if his people had already lost hope?

"I can't believe those fools! I'll do it on my own if it comes to that, no matter what I'll get my sister back and Fujitaka Kinomoto's Head!

Yue slowly came out of under the bed and gazed strangely at its master. He sensed his anger and focused even more if possible on the young man. The little pup suddenly leaped into its owners arms and licked his face. Xiao-Lang felt the anger slowly drift away. He smiled tenderly and looked down at the pup.

"Are you some kind of magic dog, you always seem to calm me down when I'm mad Yue ha ha ha..."

"At least you're on my side; you're the only one who understands me around here. Do you have any idea of what I could do?"

"Help me please I feel so confused, I need to get stronger or I'll never be able to get my little Tomo back!"

"Yue..."

He looked directly into the eyes of the little husky, and he gradually felt his worries slip away. And then everything was clear to him and he knew what to do.

"D-did you do that Yue?"

bark

"Ha ha ha I know I'm just being silly but thanks for your help!"

With this he quickly ran out of his room towards the throne room. Now that he knew what to do no one would get in the way of his dream. He would make the Kinomoto beasts pay dearly for every drop of blood they shed that day in the village. He had found a way to defeat the monsters! Tomoyo would be home in no time. he felt so happy!

"YATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Members of the court stared weirdly at the excited prince as he sped through the halls.

"What's wrong with the prince?"

"It's great to see him so excited. After all that happened lately I had though that he had forgotten how to laugh."

He barged into the throne room, surprising everyone standing in the room. The elders were giving him dirty looks. But he didn't care. Those old tarts were always on his case. What difference did it make that he had made a bad impression on them for the 13th time of the day. He sweatdropped when he reflected over what he had just thought. Okay maybe it wasn't that simple after all. But that wasn't the point he had come for something. And since everyone important in the Li Kingdom was standing at that moment in the room. It was the perfect moment to talk to them about his projects. He stared directly at his mother who was standing on her throne. He didn't flinch when she gave him her so renowned _cold stare_. He cleared his throat. The silence in the room was unbearable. He could feel the tension rising so he decided to speak up quickly.

"Mother I have something very important I wish to discuss with you about."

"Go on..."

The sound of her voice almost made him jump up of fright; he had forgotten how scary she could be sometimes. A frown was apparent on her face; it almost looked like she knew what he was going to say.

"Mother I cannot let the attack of the Kinomotos go unpunished. Therefore, I've decided to raise an army and wage a war to the fiends who dared to lay a hand on the Li Kingdom."

The reaction in the room came quickly, from silence to a sudden brouhaha. The generals, members of the faith, and the elders seemed very surprised by that announcement. Everyone except his mother seemed shocked by this unexpected speech. He forced himself to continue despite his nervousness.

"But off course I won't go off and wage a war without receiving first a proper training in the arts of war. I've found the perfect person who could help me with this. I'll go see the foreigner, the old man who came from the western continent. The one they call the crusader. And since we don't have the proper equipment to arm our soldiers, I though that we could trade by sea for military equipment from the other continent. I'm sure there exotic weaponry will give us an advantage on the battlefie..."

"**I won't allow it!**" Yelan almost yelled.

All the heads in the room turned to look at the furious queen. She was squeezing the arm-rest of her throne apparently shaken. He hadn't expected her to react that way. He was sure she would approve his decision. After all, her husband had fallen because of the Kinomotos monsters. He thought she would've understood his feelings.

"I won't let you go my son; I wouldn't bear to lose you too. You're the only family I have left!"

"Mother! Tomoyo's still alive they kidnapped her, I need to get her back!"

The room went silent, he looked around him. Everyone looked shocked about what he had just said. They didn't know that the princess was still alive? It couldn't be possible Kensuke had told him that...Kensuke! He had completely forgotten about the young soldier, he hadn't seen him when he got out of the burning village for the knights had already arrived to help them. Where was he now? His mother looked like she was about to cry...

"My little Tomoyo is alive...?"

"Yes mother and she won't be if I don't go and get her quickly"

"go...!"

The elders looked like they were about to protest but she shut them up by raising her hand to command that everyone stayed silent. She looked resigned and was extremely pale.

"So when will you be leaving to see the foreigner?"

"Today if possible mother..."

"I see..."

"We'll I won't hold you here any longer, so you should leave before I change my mind about this"

"Goodbye mother..."

He slowly walked out of the room. Not paying attention to the murmurs of the crowd. His mother had approved of his project and destiny was on his side now. It was all that mattered to him. He was about the pass the main doors of the throne room when someone called out for him. It was Kensuke; he hadn't expected to see him up and running so quickly. Heck he even thought that he hadn't survived his injuries. The young soldier was visibly intimidated by the prince. He smiled at him to reassure him.

"You're a fast healer I see."

"Y-yes your highness"

"Why are you so tense, something the matter?"

"Your majesty I couldn't help but overhear your speech in the throne room and I'd like to..."

"To..."

Xiao frowned this was getting ridiculous he couldn't even tell him what he wanted. That boy was hopeless...

"To what!"

Xiao's voice startled him. He had zoned off again. Now he was sure the prince would laugh at him!

"I wanted to know if I could join you in your quest sire..."

"I couldn't protect their majesties and I want to repay my debt to you milord."

Xiao wasn't expecting that. He looked rather pleased. The first person to actually like his idea! That was a big step towards victory over the Kinomotos. He grinned at the nervous man.

"But of course, I'll need a partner for this right?"

"Thank you your highness!"

"The pleasure is all mine ha ha!"

"I will go pack my belongings right away I wouldn't want to slow down his majesty."

"Do so, do so..."

He looked at Kensuke's shape disappear, running down the highway. He had found his right-hand man (AN: _Yay! I'll be Xiao's right-hand man! Ahem I mean...Kensuke will be Xiao's right-hand man_)

He walked slowly to his quarters; he knew it would be a long time before he walked through these hallways again. He was leaving to train and become stronger than his father. He swore to himself that he wouldn't rest until the Kinomotos were punished for their crimes and his sister would be back in his arms. He would raise an army with a power to be reckoned with and slay whoever stood in his path. He finally arrived in front of his quarters. After, deliberating for a couple of minutes he finally decided to open the door. What he saw surprised him. Yue was standing in the middle of the room next to a pile of luggage. He couldn't have...

"Yue don't tell me that it was you who did th..."

"No it was me"

The voice surprised him; he hadn't heard it for a long time. What was she doing here? He though she was with her parents in the Lian county. His dear cousin...

"Mei-Ling"

"Your mother asked me to pack your belongings, I don't know why though. Care to explain me?"

He knew it! His mother knew that he was plotting something like this. For a moment there he thought that Yue was a...

"Ahem!"

"Oh yes! Mei I'm going off to train with the old stranger. I want to learn the ways of the warrior. I will avenge my father's death."

"But Xiao! You can't leave me like this! You know that you're the only person I've ever cared for off inmy life. Please I beg you stay with me!"

"_So mother this is the last obstacle you laid out for me..."_

Mei-Ling had jumped into his arms crying excessively. He almost felt sad of leaving her like this but he couldn't help it. This was his destiny he wouldn't step away from the path that was traced for him.

"Mei-Mei I promise you that I'll be okay. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"But..."

"No buts, Mei-Mei, you know that I like you very much...I have to do this, for my father and all of the villagers..."

"I know that I'm just being silly again..."

"I'll yet you go..."

"Thanks Mei-Mei"

It 'be harder than he thought. Mei looked miserable like she would cry at any moment. He turned his back to her. If he looked at her again he was sure he would do something crazy like ask her to come with him. He heard her close the door behind him. She was gone, he sight relieved. Now he was good to go. He looked at the pup that hadn't moved from his initial spot. He looked at him with those weird eyes of his.

"I guess this is it then Yue, the beginning of our adventure."

"You're coming with me right?"

bark bark

"ha ha! Let's go then...to learn the ways of the warrior.

_**End Of chapter 1**_

**Male Author**

Hey guys how'd you like that chapter. I hope you liked it because I took me a long time to write this thing. You see I don't type that fast and I had a hard time concentrating (I have a T.V next to my computer. I can't watch T.V and write at the same time! I wish I had two heads lol.). Neways how was it? I hope you like my style, I'm not very descriptive and all but I manage. Hey I wanted to ask everyone, should-I add Japanese terms? The little things like san, Kun and etc. cause I was wondering if I should...And also I wanted to know if any of you wanted to have Li's four sisters in this story. I always forget their name, that's why I didn't put them in this chapter.

I really don't know how frequently I'll be updating, I'm in college right now and we have a lot of homework (not that I do it or anything) But the big projects are a real pain. Anyhow I won't update if I don't get at least 20 reviews.

**R&R!**

Press the magic button!


	3. Clow Reed

I'm back with the second chappie! I didn't get many reviews for the first chapter but I don't have much homework lately so I decided to take the opportunity to write the second chapter. But, I very disappointed right now. I only got one review! But neways thanks BlueStar123! You reviewed so at least I'm sure someone read my story. Well to answer your question I call Xiao-Lang Xiao because I'm too lazy to write his name completely.

Scratch that I got a new review! It's from Wolf Jade! Thanks a whole bunch I was getting desperate here. And you answered my questions! I have 2 reviews! Ten times less than what I asked for lol! I think I won't post this until next week-end because I don't think a lot of people actually read it. And btw I just though of something with the Li sisters It'll help me slow down the story a little and don't worry they won't be that perky. If only I could remember their names…

_Disclaimer:_ I own CCS (in my dreams) I own Li (in my dreams itoo) and I own this story (I don't have money to copyright it though so don't steal it plz….)

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**Clow Reed**

They had been walking for days now. Where were they headed? Kensuke had no idea. But he couldn't bring himself to ask the young prince about it. Heck! He had been lucky enough to have him accept his existence at all. After all he was only a little soldier. What did he hope to achieve by following the prince. To get closer to him? He could keep on dreaming. He had seen the distress in his eyes that day and it hadn't left his eyes since the attack. He had though that maybe he was the answer to erasing this distress from his eyes. He was the cause of his troubles anyways. He hadn't been able to protect the village. He would never forgive himself.

"Why the long face Kensuke?"

"Y-your highness"

"Don't worry where almost there"

He couldn't believe it. The prince was paying attention to him. Maybe he actually thought of him as a travel companion. Suddenly, he felt like he had the courage to talk to him.

"Your highness, w-where exactly are we headed?"

"Stop it with _your highness_ you make me feel uncomfortable."

"I didn't mean to bother his high…"

"Kensuke!"

He felt all his confidence wash away. He had ruined it all again. The prince was mad at him. He felt even more confused when he heard the prince chuckle softly. Was he mad or making fun of him? Either way both ideas disturbed him terribly.

"Just call me Li. After all we're traveling companions now aren't we?"

"C-c-c-COMPANIONS you're highness can't be serious I wouldn't ever dream to consider myself equal to his majesty!"

"Ha ha Kensuke you're so silly"

"You think your highness? I beg his highness to differ I really am trying to…"

"I told you to stop calling me your highness."

Bark Bark

"I know Yue! He's funny little fellow"

"Your highn…"

Li turned around glaring at him coldly. He gulped, feeling goosebumps already. He quickly corrected himself.

"L - Li-sama may ask where we are headed?"

"Where heading towards the northern mountains, the villagers we saw this morning told me that they often see a man wandering in the mountains. And I have a feeling that it's our man!"

"Our man?"

"Yes Kensuke, our future Sensei, the Crusader Clow, Reed. The legends even say that he lived in these mountains for 2 centuries watching over the people of our Kingdom. The villagers told me that he had made a pact with my Great-Grand Father to protect his family in exchange for shelter. But the story says that he failed my family."

"How so?"

"Nobody knows exactly…But it had something to do with my Grand-Mother…?"

"Did Li-sama ever consider that this warrior he's looking for could be a g-ghost!"

"You really surprise me Kensuke…I really thought you were the strong and silent type."

"I guess we really can't judge a person by his appearance. You're a real softie when we get to know you better."

"Li-sama…."

"Be quiet already we're almost there! Look we can almost see the mountains! The only obstacle now is this weird looking forest."

"This is the Shuzuo forest my lord. This forest is dangerous Li-sama! We have to go around it L…"

"Stop it with your nonsense Kensuke we can't waste anymore time. We've been traveling for 2 weeks already. And if I listened to you all the time we wouldn't even be here by now. You're so superstitious are you sure you're a real soldier?"

Li's words hit him like a ton of bricks. It was true he had never wanted to join the army in the first place. His father had been the cause of choice. He had been a renowned soldier during the wars against the barbarians and he had expected his son to follow his lead. He wasn't sure if he was happy as a soldier. He had never really thought about it before; only investing himself completely into his vocation without questioning his interest for his profession at all. Was-he a real soldier after all? He had never held a sword before, not that he knew how to handle one anyways. Soldiers in the Li Kingdom were only taught martial arts. For unlike the countries surrounding it, The Li Kingdom was known has a peaceful paradise. A cultural and calm land where poets and artists of all kinds fluctuated, nobody really saw the need for weapons in this nonviolent country. At least they hadn't thought about it before the attack 3 months ago…

"Will you stop sulking Kensuke! I swear you're even worse than me. It's good to know that we're so much alike. I find it weird but it also amuses me. We're so similar that whenever I look at you I see myself and it makes me laugh. But now that we're away from the castle, its rules, the aristocracy and, those damned elders, I can finally breathe, I feel so free! I must be bothering you again. You look so thoughtful…It's ironic. I'm the one who can't keep on talking now ha ha ha!"

Kensuke looked at the prince. He seemed so different out of the castle. He wasn't so sure when he first met him outside the burning village. He knew it was true right now. This prince wasn't the prince he had idolized all his life. But he liked this one better.

"I know that you don't like the idea but we don't have a choice."

"Yes Li-sama"

"sight it's already dark…I guess it can't be helped, we'll stop here and camp for the night"

"I'm not sure about this Li-sama…This place doesn't feel right."

"Ha ha ha I knew you would say something like that. Yue's here no animals would dare to defy him!"

bark bark

"See?"

"Yes Li-sama…"

"Lets unpack then!"

They had made a fire and eaten a little earlier that night. Everything seemed fine until now but that sure didn't reassure the superstitious soldier. He saw danger everywhere around him. The dark forest with its mysterious voices and sounds urged him to flee at once. He couldn't sleep for whenever he closed his eyes he heard the demonic cry of the savage monster Shuzuo. They had even named the forest after him. It had to be for a reason! Nobody had ever lived to tell the tale after seeing this monster. In his ears the rustling of the leaves transformed into muffled growls, the howling wolves were screeching beasts. He couldn't stay in this forest anymore. He couldn't take it anymore! He heard someone talking softly. He jumped out of his blanket and looked around him. He slowly walked towards the fire. Its warmth and light gave him a relative feeling of safety. He looked around the camp…He could see the prince sleeping soundly next to a log. The horses where tied to a tree but the puppy they had brought along with them was nowhere in sight. Kensuke panicked. The prince loved that dog; he had to find it before he woke up! Forgetting his fear of the woods he ran out of the clearing where they were camping in calling out for Yue.

He ran around for hours, getting lost twice but there where no signs of the little dog. He finally gave up, sleep, slowly taking him over. He walked back towards the camp too tired to even think about what would happen in the morning.

**_Somewhere deep inside the forest_**

"Yue! What a surprise I thought you had disappeared. What are you doing out here!"

"I should be the one demanding explanations."

"I'm here to help Reed-sama."

Yue's eyes widened visibly shocked by the news, He was facing a lion-like beast wearing an armor. They were floating in the air. Above the trees and the eyes of Kensuke, Kero smirked as he noticed him pass under them without even noticing something.

"Looks like your friend is looking for you."

"Reed-sama is…"

"Don't get your hopes up Yue he's really gone…His spirit just couldn't leave this land since he has a debt to repay to the Lis."

"But it's really him no?"

"Don't worry he didn't change a bit."

Kero's expression softened as he looked at the saddened, Yue would never forget their old master after all…But there was hope for him he thought, Yue had grown pretty close to the Li prince. Perhaps this Li boy would help fill the void that had formed in Yue's heart after the death of their former master. He saw Yue's sad look suddenly turn into a frown. Yue would definitely never change!

"What are you here for? What are you helping Reed-sama with? Why didn't he contact me and where you all these years!"

"Hey Yue calm down one question at the time! First of all, you left your duty as a guardian of the seal; you deserted me and left me to help the next card captor by myself. Reed-sama contacted me a little while ago, I even had to leave my new mistress' side. I hope she's alright…"

"The cards have a new mistress!"

"Of course, you missed out on a lot Yue…"

"What's her name?"

"Kero It's almost time"

"Reed-sama!" The two mystical beasts chorused.

"Yue-san it's so nice to see you again."

"Reed-sama…" Yue whispered.

The mysterious man had materialized out of thin air. He smiled at the two beasts. And then focused on the light in the clearing not too far from them. The time had come, but he still had to test the boy to make sure he was the one. He turned back to the two beasts, and called Kero. The Lion-like creature flew towards him and Clow whispered something in his ear. Yue looked, confused as Kero nodded and flew away. Flying towards the camp where the prince and Kensuke were sleeping. Clow turned his attention back to the confused wolf.

"Don't worry your new master will be alright."

"Reed-sama he's not…"

"Yes he is! Stop denying it. When this is over I won't be off this world anymore…I won't be here Yue! And I need to make sure that there'll be someone to take care of you two when I'm gone. This boy has a lot of potential. He could even be stronger than you Yue…He's worthy and by looking at your reaction I can tell that you care for the boy. He'd make a great master."

"Master, what do you need to test him for?"

"Don't call me master anymore; after all I'm not even alive! Let's just leave it there. I don't want you to hurt again when we depart for a second time."

"Reed-sama…"

"I am the one they call the crusader, I will train the boy the pay my debt to these people. I will finally be able to rest and see my dear Yunaa."

"But Yunaa's the name of Li's …"

"I know Yue, I know but I guess I couldn't help it… Evil forces are regrouping in the south; the sorcerer is assembling an army to invade the western continent. This boy may be this land's only hope."

"So there was more to this attack after all…And I'm sure you knew all about it"

"Of course!" Clow replied smiling cheekily.

"How exactly are you planning to test them Reed-sama?"

"You'll see soon enough"

Kensuke sneezed as he approached the camp. He thought that someone was thinking about him. He smiled at the idea thinking about his fiancé that he had left behind. He was just about to go back to sleep when he felt a huge gust of wind. He panicked. There was a monster in these woods after all and he was after them! He looked around him to see the prince very much awake glaring at something in the sky. He also looked up to see a flying lion. Now he was sure that he was dreaming. He had never heard of flying lions before and the Shuzuo monster was supposed to be a giant bear not a flying beast! The beast suddenly went on the offensive throwing fire balls at them. Was-he some type of jinn or mythical being? What had they done to offend this magnificent creature? He looked at the prince who kept his glare on the beast even though it kept attacking him. He dodged the projectiles with ease. He looked so strong and brave at the moment. Kensuke felt very ashamed. His prince was in danger and he was standing there watching him fight instead of him. He had to protect him! He took out his trustworthy bow and took aim.

"Good thing, I learned archery before joining the army." He thought while aiming at the flying monster.

He released the arrow and it whistled quickly towards its target.

"All right Bull's-eye!" Kensuke thought excitedly

But Kensuke had celebrated for nothing, the arrow ricocheted off some type of barrier as it was about to hit the lion. The beast turned its attention to Kensuke and lunged in his direction. He froze to the spot as the beast ran in to him and rammed him into a nearby tree. He was knocked unconscious on impact. The beast then stopped moving hovering over Kensuke's unconscious body. He seemed to be the prey of an internal battle. Xiao-Lang who had watched the attack from his initial spot regained his senses and dashed towards Kensuke. He knew he had to hurry before the beast made up its mind.

_"Do it!" _Clow Reed ordered

_"But master if I use a spell so powerful on this human boy he might…" _Kero desperately argued back (AN: In his head btw. when I write in italics it's for the thoughts."

_"The boy will be fin. Do not worry Kero-san I know what I'm doing. All I need is your cooperation. Don't you believe in me anymore?"_

_"I will do as my creator orders" _Kero thought dejected.

_"Arigato Kero-san"_

Xiao-Lang watched as the monster snapped out of his reverie. He panicked when he heard the beast softly chant some type of spell. A massive orb of fire materialized itself in front of the demon as completed the chant. Xiao-Lang watched in utter horror as the beast shot the orb at his companion. He knew he wouldn't make it in time. And even if he did he didn't know how he could possibly block such a blast. Everything around him started to go slower. He heard a voice calling out for him, telling him that it wasn't too late to save his friend. He could feel this thing running inside him. It's warmth invading him. He knew he had to be stronger. He knew he had no other choice. He saw the fire ball inches away from Kensuke and he cracked.

_"What in the world…!" _Kero thought surprised as he saw his fire ball crash on a magical barrier. He felt a monstrous aura behind him and he suddenly felt very scared. He slowly turned around but wasn't prepared for what came at him. He barely had the time to realize what was happening that he was already flying and crashing in the fire camp.

"Unbelievable" whispered amazed by the scene he just witnessed. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.

The boy radiated with raw energy. His power surpassed even his! He was impressed. He loved it when things didn't go as planned. He knew he couldn't beat him in this form. They had to calm him down. He felt the disturbance in his aura. His power was unfocused and he couldn't control his magic. He had to find a way to stop him! His serious expressions turned into a grin as an idea formed itself in his mind.

He turned to Yue. He watching the boy a weird look etched on his face. He looked thoughtful. Clow smiled fondly. He really liked the boy… He was almost over his death now. He had taken a lot more time than his "brother" (AN: That's Kero for those who didn't get it) to get over his death. But time was slowly healing his wounds. He was the key to this boy's power. He had figured it out when he saw them last time in the village. He started to speak to the wolf.

"Yue…do you know why you feel so attracted to this boy? Don't even try to deny it!" Clow warned as he saw the offended glint in Yue's eyes.

"Yue this boy and you are both children of the moon. You both draw your powers from it. It's very natural that you feel attracted to each other. Your auras are so similar that they reach out for one another. I don't understand why you have the power to seal his magic thought. Hmmm…this is unexpected…" He said anxious

"Could you stop him before he completely annihilates Kero-san?" Clow said chuckling.

"But master I don't know how…"

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll do it without even knowing it…" He said sincerely

Yue didn't look convinced. He looked down at the rampaging boy. He had to try to stop him or his brother would be destroyed. He slowly floated down next to the thrashing prince. He looked even scarier than the last time he had lost control. He was shooting energy bolts all over the place destroying everything around him. He looked untamed like a wild beast. He had to stop him before he hurt anyone! He looked directly at his back. The prince probably felt his gaze since he turned around to face him. They studied each other from head to toe carefully circling each other as if they were scared of one another. He finally looked at his eyes. They had changed from amber to a vivid shade of green. It was as if he weren't the same person anymore. His master always said the eyes were the portal to the soul. Maybe he could penetrate his mind through his eyes.

He focused on his eyes. He could feel the prince's subconscious resisting his gaze. He had to keep it up; he was almost inside his mind! With a blinding light he felt his mind merge with the prince's. It was an incredible feeling. For the first time in his life he felt truly complete. Their minds were complementary! That's why he had so much power over the boy and vice-versa. He looked around trying to find the prince's soul. He finally found it sitting atop a mountain gazing down at him. Its appearance really shocked him. It looked exactly like him! The white wolf looked at him growling. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It kept looking at him, its gaze boring into his. It suddenly stopped growling and jumped down the mountain landing in front of him.

"Who are you! And how did you get in here!" The mysterious being roared.

Yue just stood in front of him gapping.

"Are you with us or against us" It whispered menacingly.

"With you of course!" Yue said frightened by the enraged soul.

"Is that so?" It said calming down

"Are you here to make us stronger?" It said calmly.

Yue didn't know what to say at first, it was too much for him. He couldn't quite grasp where he was and what he was seeing. But he knew the thing would get angry if he didn't answer it right away.

"I will try."

"Then I'll finally be able to go back to sleep…" It whispered wearily.

"Who are you?" Yue whispered dazed.

"I am him like he is me…"

It suddenly started to fade. The prince's soul was disappearing. He looked one last time at Yue and vanished completely. Yue thought over all the things he saw the past 30 minutes. Everything around him started to wane; he was drifting out of this place. A couple of seconds passed and he was back outside facing the prince in the forest. The young man looked tired, his breathing ragged and sweating heavily. He looked completely out of it. He peered at Yue and collapsed. Clow appeared next to the boy, he knelt beside him. He smiled at Yue and whispered.

"You did it Yue-san you calmed his subconscious down. He won't go berserk from now on when he releases his powers. Now that he knows that we're here to help, he won't interfere. You did better than I expected! This is so much fun, so many things I hadn't predicted are happening! This is great finally excitement in my boring life!" Clow exclaimed his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Yue sweatdropped, he had never seen his old master so carefree and he found it a little bizarre. The boy had power, power that felt very much like his. They were alike, he felt so complete when he merged with the boy. It had to mean something! His master was right fate had brought them together. And right now he wondered for what purpose…

**_Somewhere…far away…_**

"What was it I just felt!" A dark figure screeched from on top of his altar.

People surrounded him possibly subordinates. They slightly backed away scared by the dark shadow. One of them proceeded to hand out his report. He stepped into the light as we recognize the familiar figure. It was the soldier who attacked the village and kidnapped Tomoyo. He wore a different uniform at the time and looked slightly pale. His crimson eyes blurred with fear.

"What is it Seki?" The dark figure whispered dangerously.

The soldier also known as Seki gulped when he heard the figure's voice. But he managed to blurt out his report.

"Our scouts have reported weird sightings in the area of the northern mountains. They're have been sightings of weird lights and sounds near the border... Our mages say that they've felt huge spiritual forces in that area. They were too scared to confirm with visuals though… They say that the legends might be true…"

"What legends?"

"The one's about the foreigner dwelling in the mountains, the mage who cannot rest in peace. The creator of the magic cards, the one called Clow Reed…"

"WHAT!" The dark character screamed.

"I want you to execute these scouts. We do not need fools in our ranks. Have I made myself clear Seki?" He hissed.

"Yes my lord! I will do as thou commands!" The soldier bowed and took off.

"One more thing before you go… I want you to send a battalion to investigate on the matters at hand. I want them to report to me as soon as possible. Remember Seki, failure is not an option…"

"Y-yes Sir!"

"_If what these fools said is true, I'll have a harder time taking over this continent. If Clow Reed the Legendary Magician forms this boy, He might even be able to beat me! This wasn't supposed to happen. At least I still have the girl she should of use later on…"_

**AN: And now I'm wondering should I stop it here or not…But I think I'll write a little more.**

**_Deep in northern mountains_**

His head throbbed when he looked at the light. He didn't know for how long he had slept but he knew he had been out for the night at least since the sun was up. Kensuke screeched when he came face to face with a flying mouse. And it actually talked, was he dead and seeing jinns or was he just delirious because of the headache. It shouted at him prying him to get up. He finally decided to comply, he didn't know if this thing was a spirit yet and he had no intention to anger it.

"Finally you woke up you slob! Even the gaki who lost a lot of energy yesterday slept less than you!" The thing shouted.

"Are you talking about the prince?" Kensuke stuttered.

"Who else? You're really dense little boy!" He exclaimed huffing.

"Then it must mean that I'm alive!"

"Glad you could confirm that Sherlock! Give this kid a medal, a real genius we have here tche!" The irritating little mouse said smirking.

"Where's his highness?" Kensuke said looking around him.

"He left with Reed-sama a while ago I don't where they actually went though…"

"By the way who or what exactly are you?" he said looking at the flying animal trying to toy with its wings.

"Whaaat…You don't know me! I'm the high and mighty Keroberos (AN: I don't know if it's how it's written in English though so tell me if it's wrong.). And you looked pretty scared yesterday when I attacked you guys…Damn you almost got me with that arrow of yours. Reed-sama shielded me at the last second I didn't know you where an archer. You looked pretty weak...You really are unpredictable. You don't look like it but you're a pretty reliable fellow aren't you." Kero said snapping at the annoying boy.

"You're the demon who attacked us! What did you do with the prince! I warn you if anything happens to the only heir of the kingdom I won't be able to guarantee your safety! The Li soldiers will be here in no time and they'll make you pay!" He said panicking.

"As if the Li's had an army, you and that prince are probably the strongest warriors they have now… Heck even if they did they wouldn't stand a chance against me! I am the great Keroberos after all Bwahahahahahaha!"

Kensuke sweatdropped the little mouse was laughing hysterically floating in front of him. This little thing sure was strange…He looked at his surroundings noticing that they weren't in the forest anymore. It seemed like they were in the mountains. How in the world had they gotten that far in a night…? He wondered if what the mouse had been true. It wouldn't make sense that they attacked them only to befriend them afterwards. And who where they anyways; they knew they're names, the reason why they where traveling and where they where headed. He looked again at the little beast to notice that it had stopped laughing and was looking at him frowning.

"What is it?" He said frowning himself.

"Nothing…I just felt somebad vibes in the area…But it could be my imagination…Anyhow it's time for BREAKFAST I get too eat an extra portion since I helped Reed-sama yesterday." Kero said bouncing off.

"W-wait where are you going, wait for me!" He said running after the flying bear.

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**Male Author**

Now it's over, I can't believe it I had a hard time writing this one. It was so boring! Jeez, I wrote so much in this thing but it just seems so empty. Maybe I'm stretching it a little too much I guess. Sigh…And I bet I won't get any reviews too…I guess it can't be helped. I thank again _BlueStar123_and _Wolf Jade _for their reviewsYou're the reason I even bothered to update this soon.Thanks you two for a moment there, you made me feel special!

Jeez seriously proofreading is a pain. I can't believe all the dumb things I write when I'm not paying attention! Neways this'll be up by Saturday night tops! As for the next chapter, it'll really depend on the number of reviews I get this time…

**So fuel me press the magic button!**


	4. The Heart of a Warrior

Hey! I'm back with a new chapter. I wonder why I'm writing this though since I had almost no reviews for the last chapter. At least I got some encouraging stats since I'm on the author alert of a couple of peeps and I'm on the fav author list of _Wolf Jade_. I thank you again you're review really surprised me! You actually took some time to read my bios even if it's so small I have to write more on that… I don't think I'm really into this like the other authors I have to make sure I don't loose interest in this at some point…And the fact that almost no one reviewed after 2 chaps doesn't really help. But anyhow, _Wolf Jade_ you rock! You actually know where Benin is! And you did a project on it too! Lol must've been hard finding something to say on that place. Nothing ever happens there. At least they don't get all violent like the other African countries. I never actually really lived there. Heck, I wasn't even born there (I was born in Ivory Coast for those who know where that is.). You're the reason I'm even writing this right now… And don't worry _pink-cherryblossoms1 _I didn't forget you; thanks for reviewing too! I hope you'll keep on reading, I noticed that I'm kinda slowing the pace of this story a little too much. And ummm that's about it, on with the story!

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**The Heart of a Warrior **

Li clenched his fists annoyed that he had been left sitting here alone for hours… It wasn't like he had time to lose anyways. The weird man had led to this river and had left without even saying a word. This man had dared to leave a prince of the Li Kingdom waiting like an idiot for him in some random wooded area!

Yes… a prince of the Li Kingdom, for all it was worth he thought bitterly. Its generals were so weak that he had to come this far to beg… Yes beg! For help from that eccentric buffoon, he had schemed to attack them last night and the young prince hadn't forgiven him for it yet. _Yue…_, he almost instantly thought, Yue had something to do with this man. The little pup he had grown so fond of seemed to be more than a little mutt after all. He had seen him following the man sticking to him as if he where his shadow. He wondered if this person was as strong as the legends said. After all, he had sent some weird spirit to do his biding… Had he lost his touch over the years…? He looked into the small river next to him, its clear waters rustled down a small fall in front of him… He sigh, he hadn't felt so serene in a long time. He had even almost forgotten how it felt to be at ease. When he sat here next to that river he felt like he had nothing to worry about, no Kinomotos to slay ,and no sister to rescue. The mention of his sister woke him from his trance.

_"So much for the leisure time he said I needed…_" He though miserably.

He wouldn't last long alone in these woods; he was already starting to think about things he shouldn't… He sigh suddenly he felt like this would be a long evening.

Somewhere near the unsuspecting prince, dark shadows observed him, following his every movements attentively. There were two shadows to be exact two beings that you readers had met before. Yue and Clow observed the prince sulking in the woods. They floated over him, discussing over trivial matters.

"He's stronger than I'd expected, a lot stronger." Clow said visibly excited.

"I still don't understand why you're so happy that this boy surpassed you Reed-sama…" Yue said indignantly

"I was tracked down because of my powers Yue-san. I had to flee from my own land and leave behind loved ones. I had to run to this Kingdom and be tempted by the devil (AN: _I wonder if you get what I'm talking about here._). I had to wander in this realm for almost two centuries. There are so many reasons I could enumerate as to why this changes everything…I'm not the strongest magician of this world anymore, no one will need to come after my powers any longer. After I help this young man I'll truly be in peace. Left to live next to Yunaa's side forever…" He said whispering.

"Reed-sama…" Yue looked at his former master and creator. A nostalgic air surrounded him all of a sudden.

"Who is this wizard you told me about?" He said remembering their conversation the day before.

He snapped out of it and turned to look at his companion. He seemed lost for a second and finally picked up what the chibi-wolf had said. He smiled mysteriously and looked down at the prince.

"This is for you to find out and for me to keep unrevealed" He said grinning cheekily.

"Seems like you already forgot what was on your mind Reed-sama. Things never really change with you I guess." he said sighing

"Glad you think that way Yue-san, I'll do my best to train the boy and stop thinking of my sad past…" he said looking morose again.

"_I wander sometimes why we know nothing of this part of your life Reed-sama. Did you really erase our memory of those moments or did you seal us before fleeing there. Even so… Why wouldn't you want us to know anything about it?" _He thought grimly.

"Why the sour face Yue-kin (AN: A little _kin_ from Tsubasa here )?" Clow said grinning.

"How much longer do you intend to toy with the prince Reed-sama?"

"As long as It'll take to make him crack." He looked at Yue to see his surprised expression.

"Don't worry, it's for his own good. He won't be able to control his energies if he can't even exteriorize his feelings correctly. We don't want to see him berserk again now do we?"

Yue shuddered at the thought. He wasn't sure he would be able to convince the prince's second self again.

"He needs to control his emotions or they might drive him to oblivion. He has too much power for us to risk losing him to the dark arts. The wizard would be more than pleased to have him on his side. We won't let that happen it wouldn't be fun…" Clow said looking at his right.

Yue intrigued looked in the same direction to see Kero and The second boy venturing into the forest. He hadn't sensed them after all. Keroberos was known to get distracted when he was hungry. He smirked looking at them running around the bushes trying to find tracks. He sure was out of it…

"Arrrghhhhhhhhh! Where are they! I'm getting restless here. I need to eat something before I go mad! Reed-sama promised he would cook for me!" Kero said wailing.

"Are you sure you're the mighty beast that attacked us yesterday. You sound more like a whining stuffed doll to me." Kensuke said watching the flying bear thrashing around him.

Hearing Kensuke insults, He turned around glared at he boy.

"Hey Gaki! Don't push your luck, the other brat saved your life last time but he won't be here to save you again if you push me!" He said dangerously

He flew at his eye level and engaged in a glaring contest with the equally ticked and hungry boy.

"Shut it teddy before I pluck out those wings of yours." He spat glaring back at the magic beast.

"Why you!" He said hammering his head with his small fists

Clow watched the scene a comical expression etched on his face. It had been a long time since he had company. He had forgotten how funny it was to live around others. He turned back to the guardian of the moon, who was looking too at the two a grave expression engraved on his features.

"_He couldn't really forget his pain after all…He iss similar to the prince in so many ways_" He though gazing at the frowning wolf.

"Yue-san I've been wondering for a while there…Why are you in this form? As far as I'm concerned, I didn't give you this appearance when I created you. You're so small… You look adorable and all but it seems as if you lost a big chunk of your powers to maintain this appearance."

"There's no real reason…I just felt like starting out with a new appearance, completely new. I needed too; I was starting to get restless. It's not a big deal I'll just take back my original form if something comes up." He answered, his expression switching to a nostalgic one.

"O…"

"…"

"Well let's get down there before Kero-kun completely flattens the boy." He joked trying to lighten the mood. Seeing that it had almost no effect on the Moon Guardian he descended stopping above the two fighters. He looked up to see his companion, still in deep thought. He sighed and flew to stop the fight.

"_These three will need to forget about their personal problems if they are to work together…This Kensuke seems to be the only one who's actually focused on the task at hand. If only the other two were as reasonable._"

"It's enough now you two! Behave for once, Kero-kun and let out friend Kensuke be…" He looked at the boy in question who stood gaping and watching him floating in the air.

"Are you surprised? I though that the rumors said that I was a ghost? Ghosts float or don't they?" The boy looked terrified, he scrambled backwards backing up against a tree.

"Gh-g-Ghost!" He stuttered.

"Yes…I am a ghost but don't worry child I'm not here do you any harm. Quite the contrary when I think about it…" He said looking thoughful

"Ha ha ha! You shut your yap now that you came face to face with the great Clow Reed! Look at him Reed-sama he looks like a gaping fish" Kero said pointing at the terrified boy.

"You're Clow Reed…" He whispered carefully. He got up and looked at the floating man. He didn't look that unusual…Except for the fact that he was floating that is. He looked normal enough with his long dark hair tied behind him and his mages robes. The teddy was flying next to him, smirking at him. He probably had fun. He could tell just by looking at his reaction. He suddenly heard something behind him. He turned around to see the prince's pup jumping out of a bush. He looked at them skeptically. He looked almost human sometimes, with those deep blue eyes…

"Yue! You're back I though you were lost. How did you find us? You have no idea how Li-sama will be happy to see you."

Keroberos was about to greet his friend when Clow signaled him to keep quiet. Kero looked at him puzzled. He wondered why he couldn't…He looked at his master pointing at something. He followed his sign to see the boy, Kensuke. His mouth formed into an o like shape as realization suddenly struck him. The boys didn't know about Yue's real identity. How had they named him then? Had he used his powers to influence them? Anyhow, Kero knew he wouldn't be able to keep this side of him secret for much longer…Considering the boy's power…Now that he thought of the boy, he wondered what the old wizard had in store for him. As if he read his mind, he turned around to smile at him. Sometimes he forgot that his old master had the power to read minds.

"Kero-kun, we'll start as soon as the boy's ready to face his inner demons. He seems to think that this training will help get rid of his fears and tears. And I'm sure that he'll realize that only himself can erase these memories or at least get over them."

"Reed-sama…"

"He'll be able to do it I'm sure of it! He has potential and the strong will. He'll pull through. It'll be his first test; if he has trouble getting over these hardships, I don't think he'll be able to face what I have in store for him next."

"I knew you'd say something like that Reed-sama! The brat will get to suffer will he? He'll pay for blasting me like he did yesterday!" Kero said smiling evilly

"Oh sure he will…" He said smiling back at the sun guardian.

Kensuke turned his attention back to the two hearing them cackle like two witches. He really wondered if they could trust this man…

"Where are they! I can't believe he dared to leave me here, a prey to my dark thoughts…" He sighed for the hundredth time of the day feeling them already creeping into his head. He tried to forget all he saw in that village that day and to cover the hatred he felt for the beasts who committed these crimes but he knew all too well that he had completely failed. He couldn't do anything about it now. He was completely under the control of his impulsions. And he had a cinch that the Old wizard knew about it. And he was sure he wouldn't let him train before he got rid of this problem.

"He didn't give anything to eat either. Or does he expect me to get food at the same time?" His stomach grumbled as if trying to confirm what he had just said.

"Maybe I was wrong to come here after all…I'm not learning anything here." He said forgetting his grumbling stomach.

He got up and walked towards the small river. At least he would get something to drink. He bent to his knees trying to take a sip of the clear waters but stopped abruptly when he saw his reflection in the water. He didn't know what he had sensed the moment he saw his reflection in the water but somehow, he felt like he had the answer to his questions…

"_I get it now! If I am to become a warrior I'll need to start thinking like one. My mind must be pure and focused like these clear waters. My thoughts will need to be like this river flowing eternally always trying to find a new trail. I'll need to reflect the impurities in my heart like this water reflects my image. Old geezer I finally got it. You'll be forced to train me now!" _He thought triumphantly.

"You really are impressive, Prince Xiao-Lang."

The prince surprised by this intruder, almost fell in the stream. He quickly turned around to get a good look at his new sensei. He still wore that irritating smirk on his face. He looked surprisingly young for a wizard two centuries old. He walked towards him and soon found himself right next to him. He ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You surprised me once again your highness. He didn't think you would figure it out so quickly." He said walking over to the river. He gestured him to follow his lead. The prince curious onto what the wizard had to teach him followed without questioning him. They walked along the river bank for a couple of minutes before he finally stopped and bent over peering at the river.

"Look at the river now…"

He did as he was told looking into the waters. At first he saw nothing. And then it struck him, he couldn't see his reflection into the water anymore!

"What is it, you look surprised." The magician said knowingly.

"I can't see my reflection in the water anymore! Is it one of your tricks old man!" Li shouted furiously

The irritable smirk slowly made its back on the magicians face. He couldn't resist it! He would taunt the boy one last time.

"You mean you didn't figure it all after all. Oh my! Here I thought we could start our training. I guess I'll let you think about it a little longer." He said feigning to leave the prince.

"Don't you dare Old man! I've had it with your enigmas. I don't have time to lose. And I certainly waste my time playing your idiotic games." He roared his aura flaring.

"_Uh Oh!__ Wake up call!"_ The magician thought sensing the boy's aura.

"Fine! Kids these days…" He stopped in the middle of the sentence feeling the princes glare.

"Ahem! As I said, this river's magical."

"Magical?"

"Don't interrupt me! Do you want to know or not! This river shows the reflection of those who doubt. It was the only way for me to make sure that you were sure about this. You have to be in synch with your feelings when you practice magic or your emotions will get the better of you…" He said looking at the prince.

"Purity, Clarity and Harmony are the elements that this water thrives on. If you lack those qualities, the waters will reject you. Thus reflect your image. They are also the fundamentals of my art. Without these qualities you wouldn't have been able to gain the heart of a warrior. A soldier with no doubts who stands for what is right. Your partner already had it figured out. You were the only one left. Now that we've taught you that, you'll be able to start the real thing."

"You'll really teach me your ways."

"Rest assured, it's only the beginning of your miseries. The hardships are ahead. Are you really ready for what's in store for you? " He said smirking.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" He said looking defiantly at his new master.

**Male Author**

_Born to be the champ, after the girls that is…_

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There we go! I think I'll stop here. One may ask why this chappie's so small but I told you I would do something if I didn't get enough reviews. I really don't see the point of writing chappies of 4500 or so, if I'm only gona get 2 reviews per entry. But basically, I have three reasons why I wrote such a small chapter. Uno, I told you I would get mad I no one reviewed. Dos, I really don't think I'd be able to update once a week with big chapters and tres, well ummm…I didn't feel like writing at all. That's why I wrote another lame chapter. Seriously when I reread myself I can't believe the things I write sometimes. Peeps would think that I took psycho. or something…I don't btw I dropped it 'cause it was too boring. Neways I thank again _Wolf Jade_ for her/his (AN: My guess is that you're a she though but I couldn't find out exactly on your bios.) continual support. Sorry I haven't found the time to read your fics yet. Writing this story takes most of my reading time. The next chapter should be a lot more consistent both in actions and information. At least I hope it'll be the case .

**Show me some love and press the magic switch!**


	5. Silver Fang The Howling Blade

Okay this is sad…I didn't get any reviews, again! I just realized that almost half of my reviews come from _Wolf Jade_! I really don't know if I should be happy about it or just crumble and cry…Sigh…I guess that's how it is to be a nobody out here… I won't change anything yet… I just hope that I'll pick up readers as I go along because right now considering my stats, I don't have a big audience and I find it rather disturbing. Oh well I'll just write for those who took the time to read me up to now. Hey for those who wonder when Sakura's appearance is due for…I haven't really though of it yet. But there'll definitely be some fluff in this story. I just have so many ideas that I think it will take a little time to see her. Probably by chapter 10 tops. I still don't know how long this story's gona be…We'll see! And one more thing, some of you may have noticed that this fic is centered on Li. I think it'll stay that way for the entire story. I don't like the idea of Sakura being stronger than Li and I already said it a little earlier I think. So…If any of you are against it…you could do what you got to do! You can flame me if you want, that'd make reviews at least!!!! Just kidding XD!

**_It was my birthday last week I'm now officially 16!_**

**Silver Fang the Howling Blade**

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**_Kensuke's P.O.V_**

They'd been training with the Sorcerer for almost 5 years now…And yet the past years seemed like a couple of days to him. They had trained harshly every single day. The wizard was a real monster when it came to training. He had matured over the years and come to understand himself better than he'd ever thought possible, he had gotten so much stronger since their first encounter with Keroberos. Clow Reed had taught him well. He surely wouldn't have gotten this far without the help of his sensei. He had believed in him, telling him that he had potential and the spirit of a swordsman. He still remembered the discussion they had five years ago. Yes he was sure he'd never forget it of his life.

_FLASHBACK_

I had been sitting alone, away from the fire that the flying bear had started with his magic. It still freaked me out to be near these weird beings but I was slowly starting to live with it. After all we have been living in these mountains for a month now. It was only natural that I'd get familiar with the others. The prince seemed to fair pretty well. He didn't seem to mind living with the eccentric man. I could almost say that he likes it here. He was here to train anyhow. It was a good thing that he found his Sensei bearable. I wondered where it left me in this story. I'd followed his highness to protect him from harm. I hadn't managed to protect him when the flying mouse attacked us and he wouldn't need me anymore when he'd finish his training. I wonder if I wouldn't even be a nuisance to him…

"_sigh It's hopeless…!" _I whispered bitterly.

I was so entranced into my thoughts that I didn't notice the wizard who was staring intently at my lonely self. I was so distracted by my inner demons that I didn't see him slowly make his way next to me. He stopped right in front of me and coughed to get my attention. I looked up to see him standing right in front of me.

"Aaaak…h-how did you get here?!" I said scrambling backwards and crashing into a nearby tree.

"Itaiii…" I rubbed my head feeling a bump already.

"Watch it Ken-kun... I can call you that unh?" Clow asked as I slowly nodded prying him to continue.

"You shouldn't sit alone like that. You're my second trainee after all. Why not sit next to your Sensei? Or weren't you planning to train with us…" He said looking at me critically.

"Sinc…Waaattt…TRAINEEE!! I wouldn't…I couldn't…unh….I'm so…" I hated it when I stuttered like an idiot. He would surely think that I'm an idiot now and ask me to forget about his offer. I peeked at him bracing myself for what would come at me. He looked amused…Oh no! He was making fun of me!

"Why the surprised expression Ken-kun, you almost shot down Kero-pin last time we met. I had to save him at the last moment or don't you remember? I'm sure that you have some skill. You could turn up to be a great warrior. I'm always right with these things…"

"…" There I was gaping again. I inwardly scolded myself and forced myself to answer him.

"Or was I wrong? I assumed that since you followed the prince, you'd want to train like him…He was so worried when he saw you alone in your corner that he asked me if I could talk to you… He's really something isn't he? Anyhow if it wasn't it, excuse me for bothering you; I wouldn't be of any help for anything else." He said turning around already walking back towards the camp. I followed his retreating figure and looked passed him at the prince. He was watching us intently as if waiting for something to happen. He looked disappointed when he saw Clow walking back towards the camp.

"_HE THOUGHT I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO TRAIN ME!" _I thought realization suddenly striking me.

"No Reed-sensei matte! I want to train with you! I'd be honored to receive your lessons." I said running after him.

"Oh excellent, we'll start tomorrow. And since you don't possess any magic, you'll only be taught the fine art of the sword. You'll make a fine swordsman don't worry." He said noticing my expression.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you got better at it then the prince himself. And trust me I've trained exceptional swordsmen. I know how to sniff talent."

"Yes sensei, whatever you say, I'll do my best!" I exclaimed excited by the news. He would train me! Along with the prince! He said I had potential!

I skipped back towards the camp following the smiling man; this was the beginning of my journey…

_END OF FLASHBACK_

Yes he had suffered a great deal afterwards. For the training, the shape up, and the practices but, it had paid off. He was strong now and he felt renewed, born under a different star. Reed-sensei had shown him the path of the sword and he knew he was born to follow it. It was almost over, the prince only had to duel the mage in one final battle. And surely, the student would surpass the master…

"_I just hope that I am right_" I thought looking down at the forest where it had all begun.

**_Li's P.O.V_**

We had been had been walking for a couple of minutes and I still didn't know where he was taking but, I couldn't explain why I felt so nostalgic all of a sudden…Somehow I felt like we had done this before. 5 years had passed and I was now stronger than ever. Clow Reed was right after all… His training really paid off with the both of us. I bet that mother wouldn't recognize us if she saw us. I ran a hand through my growing beard. Even Ping had taken a bit of our disheveled look. His once clean and brushed fur was full of knots and flees. Thinking about that I'd have to give him a good shower after this. I stopped when I saw him turn back towards me. I hadn't even noticed that we weren't in the forest anymore. Oh my! This was…!

"This is where we first met and this is where your training will end. You were a good student Prince Li, better than I imagined anyhow. You learned very fast and where already facing each other like I promised you...The hard work, the years of bruises, awful cooking and tyrannical training are almost behind you. Well…they will be if you are able to beat me." He said already in a fighting stance.

"So this is what it was all about Sensei! I should've known you're not the type to take me out here for nothing but…Why only me? Kensuke also took your training why not test him?"

"It's simple you're the one I made the promise with. I know you're still not fully in sic with your power. The only way to really test yourself and gain some confidence in your abilities is the actual battlefield. Think of it as the final test."

"I'll finally be able to vent my frustration on you Sensei. You really gave us a hard time." I said taunting him.

"I take it you're ready for our little fight. You'd better be because here I come!" He said leaping towards me.

_Here the challenges start for him…_

_FLASHBACK_

We had been laboring fields and irrigating them for weeks now. And I still didn't know how doing some gardening could help us fight. It was getting frustrating especially with the flying bear flying around and playing the overseer. He really took pleasure in seeing us suffer. Our sensei wasn't much better. Most of the time, he was nowhere to be seen. Either in his shack, which no one except him had the right to venture in or wandering in the forest like a lost spirit. It didn't look like he took our training very seriously and it was really troubling me. Our own sensei didn't even take time to watch us "train" and even less to teach us how to fight. He was simply fooling around with us! For the last months, we had gone through his training at an almost diabolical rate. At dawn, we woke up and went down the mountain to fetch water from the source and then back up to water the fields before noon but those were only the days when we didn't have to work the land. We were doing peasant work instead of military training. I had to talk to our Sensei and put a stop to this masquerade. I knew I wouldn't fair much longer at this rate. I mean the moment we started to get accustomed to a pace that he put it to a far superior level. I just wasn't reasonable. This wasn't how it was supposed to be and I had to clear things with him. Yes I had to. I got up and headed towards his shack. I entered the wooded area next to his shack and was surprised to find him standing on a rock not far from our settlement. He seemed to be waiting for someone or something. He got up when he noticed that I was standing not far from him. Clow Reed looked up at me and smiled knowingly.

"What is it your highness? Aren't you supposed to be training?"

"I'm here for matters concerning this training…"

"Oh…is that so? humm…Very interesting do you like the exercise? I don't think that people your rank are used to these things. Even the weak Kensuke's better at it than you." He said with a mocking tone. He really could be irritating when he got into it.

"I wouldn't even really call it training Reed-sensei. If I knew this was your secret technique I would've simply stayed in the castle and asked the royal gardener for lessons." I spit back.

"O feisty aren't you? Gardening lessons you say…Well well your words really hurt me…And here I thought you loved you training." He replied his voice dripping with sarcasm. I was about to snap back when motioned me to keep quiet.

"Follow me would you? I'll show you why you're doing all this." he said disappearing in the bushes.

We walked in the forest for what seemed to me like hours. I had no idea where he was taking me. Maybe he wanted to abandon me next to a river in the middle of nowhere again. I shuddered at the thought the last time had been enough for me. We finally arrived in a clearing. The sun above us shun brightly, as if mocking me it blinded me preventing me to drink in the scenery around us. This clearing looked oddly familiar

"Here we are…Now lets see what my training enables you to do…" He said turning to look at me. I had never seen him so serious. I looked around to find myself in a clearing, a very familiar one at that. It was the clearing where we had first met! It didn't look any different though…The ashes from our fire were still here, even the leftovers from our dinner were still were we had tossed them; erm…If we could say that…

He walked up to me a smirk now visible on his face. "Well…If you think that my training is useless why don't you try proving your point by lifting this dead trunk over there." He said pointing at the log in question.

My eyes widened when I looked at the trunk too. It was humongous; I had never seen such a trunk before… Trees that big didn't grow in the Li Kingdom, I was sure of it. The only answer would be that he used his magic to grow it… Yes it made a lot of sense. That sly dog would've wanted to grow it but why? It was already impossible for me to lift the real thing! Why would he want me to be right?

"Well…I don't have time to lose you know." He said still pointing at the log.

There I thought that he had completely lost his mind. I decided to lift the trunk and prove that his training hadn't helped us at all. I walked next to the dead tree and positioned myself to lift it. I grabbed it and tried to pull it a little. As predicted, it didn't move an inch. The old man really was senile after all. I tried harder but to no avail, it didn't budge. I heard a snicker behind me and I imagined that it was my sensei who was laughing at my expenses.

"You can't even lift that maybe you were right after all or…You could be the weak one." He said chuckling.

I don't what happened when he said it. But it just struck a cord and the only thing I could think about was that I would lift this log and wipe that irritating smile of his off his face. I suddenly felt a burst of energy, it flowed through me and I could feel it concentrating in my arms. What was it? Was it the magic they said I had? All I know is that it felt very different from the last times. I lifted the log and sent it flying without breaking a sweat. I looked at the log, already a dot in the sky and then at my hands astonished by what I had just accomplished.

"See you needed my help in the end…I'm amazed though that you could lift that log with the little physical training I gave you." He exclaimed looking at the sky, the log wasn't visible anymore. He whistled and turned back to me.

"Physical training?"

"Yes your physical capabilities weren't up to your magical ones. You needed to get stronger or you wouldn't be able to perform prowess like the one you just performed. The magic would've completely destroyed your body and left you crippled if we went on like this. I realized that when you collapsed last time. I was so impressed with your power that I forgot that the power you wielded could've been too much for you. Your body wasn't able to take the strain so I decided to increase your physical strength via those training methods. I'm amazed at your physical abilities thought your body adapted so quickly! I'm even wondering if your even human! Your power is incredible!" He said looking at me visibly amazed.

"Then can we start the real training?!" I asked hopeful.

"Unfortunately you're not ready yet…look at yourself you're a mess and you barely used a little of your power. You're not in shape yet. You will be in a month or so if you keep on progressing at this speed…"

He was right I felt totally wasted all of suddenly. I was drenched with sweat and my body ached all over. I felt like I had just run a marathon. A question popped in my mind, Reed-sensei had explained why I needed to train but did it have to do with Kensuke?

"You're friend is almost ready too. He needs a lot more strength to wield a sword. His arms aren't fit yet for battle. He can barely wave a sword around; I wouldn't be able to teach him anything in these conditions." He said as if reading his mind.

"But when will this be over…?"

"When the time comes we'll fight it off to decide if you are ready. This I promise you."

"Wait up!" I shouted seeing him walking off.

"So are you ready for some training?"

"What you expect me to train after the strain you just put me through!"

"O that's right!" He replied chuckling

"You mean you were actually serious about it!"

_END OF FLASHBACK_

I barely had time to jump out of the way and dodge his attack. I smiled defiantly, it this was the best he was capable off he wouldn't last long against me! He looked up at me a humorous glint in his eyes. He had read my mind again. He started to chant a spell. I looked intrigued as a magic circle formed itself underneath him and a silver sword materialized in his hand.

"Brace yourself young prince! I've never lost a battle with this sword in my hand!" Clow smirked and jumped up, high in the sky.

I tried to follow his movement but found it impossible because of the sun that was blinding me. If I couldn't see him I'd have to sense him. I held my ground trying to find my master. I felt a flicker of power behind me and quickly turned around to see Clow Reed dashing towards me.

"_How did he get there so fast?!_" I wondered quickly jumping out of harms way barely a second before he drew his sword and furiously slashed at the spot standing where I used to be. He jumped back in the trees and vanished behind the leaves. He was hiding again hoping to catch me off guard! I concentrated again trying to find his energy signature. I found him in front of me but, oddly he was really far from me and seemed to be moving even further away from me. What was he thinking! He suddenly stopped and I felt it. He was radiating with and incredible energy. What was he trying to do?! He was too far away from me to hit with his sword. The energy bubbled and raged uncontrollably. I suddenly felt a detonation in his aura and sensed it beaming towards me.

"_Damn Offensive Magic! He's really serious about this! I won't be able to dodge it. If I do I might get blown away by the shockwave! I'll have to use magic!_" I thought gravely.

I had to shield myself and I had the perfect spell to do so. I started to chant the spell, letting its magic envelop me.

"Defensive spell, power level 3 _Holy Shield_!" I screamed feeling the energy screen surrounding me. I hoped it would hold on.

The moment I summoned my shield I saw the dark beam crashing out of the forest. This wasn't child's play! He was using level 3 chaos magic! The beam collided with my shield. It smashed and kept on pushing my defensive wall. It was tearing me inside, holding the shield was really taking a lot out of me. I wasn't used to this yet. It felt like it was tearing my mind apart bits by bits every shackle against the shield felt like a needle piercing through my head. The beam finally subsided giving me the opportunity to lower the shield. I collapsed exhausted by the effort.

"_Kuso__ I let my guard down!_" I thought already feeling Reed's aura behind me.

I quickly got up and turned around trying to dodge his next attack but turned to find him already less than 2 meters away from me. It was too late…

"_I lost…_"

He raised his sword and preparing to strike me. I felt something wane inside me. I heard a heartbeat. Clow seemed to feel it too since he stopped in his tracks and looked at me awed. The beat quickened, something was wrong.

"_Use me…!"_

The sword in Clow's hands glowed brightly. He threw it away as if it where red-hot. Oddly it flew off in my direction. I instinctively raised my hand and reached for it. It called out to me. The silver blade yearned for my touch! I took hold of the sword and rose in the air. With this sword in my hands I felt like I could bring down mountains. Reed looked at me in a dream-like state and then finally took hold of himself, chanting a new spell and summoning a battle staff. He looked at me smirking.

"I guess I really looked for it! I can't be helped; He wasn't made for me after all"

He got back in his fighting stance and started mumbling incoherently. A seal started to form itself under him. He was using the same spell but somehow it felt different. The power I felt channeling in his staff was nowhere near the blast he sent a while ago. How could he muster some much energy? Was he some kind of demon!? I wouldn't be able to block this one and I needed to counter-attack quickly or I would lose the match. I stood helpless floating above him as he finished chanting the formula and sent concentrated the energy in his staff. He was putting it all in this attack!

"_Dark Maelstrom!"_ He shouted unleashing his dark magic upon me.

I stood my ground and looked at the sword. I didn't know any powerful offensive spells. The heartbeat started again. I could heart it clearly now. I focused on it and channeled all my energy. The sword blazed enveloped by my aura. I could see it swirling around the blade. What in the world was happening…I didn't know it myself. The sword was beating in my hand; it was alive trying to tell me something.

"_Throw me_" The voice whispered again.

I threw the sword and it flew directly towards the beam. Light and darkness collided ripping the forest itself apart. The two forces clashed covering the field with dust. The clearing filled with light and an explosion was heard. I suddenly felt myself being pushed back by the shockwave. I covered my eyes shielding myself from the dust and light. The next thing I knew Iwas in a tree. AndI could hear this voice talking to me.

"_Greetings Li-sama, my name is Silver Fang."_

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**Male Author**

_Born to be the champ after the girls that is…_

Whew! That was hard to write. I really hate proof-reading my work. It's a pain! So I think that from now on I'll just write the story one day and proof-read it the other. I'm so pissed off and tired after writing these chapters that usually I can't concentrate on what I'm reading. It was pretty hard to write this chapter btw. I'm so busy lately…I actually found time to write this since I finished my English assignment faster than I had expected. I also watched Gundam Seed last week so it took pretty much all of my computer time. Seriously that anime's mad!! It's even better than Gundam Wing! I won't be updating too much for the next 4 weeks I think… I have the finals coming up in December and the winter break afterwards so the next chapter should be up by then. I apologize if you didn't like the fight scene. I don't like it myself but I'm too lazy to rewrite it. I'm actually trying to update during the week to see if I'll get more reviews. If it's the case I'll update in the middle of the week instead of Saturday. That's about it…I guess…OOOO yeah! Next chapter, they'll leave from the mountains and go head back home. For some reason, I find this chapter really boring. If this doesn't work out as planned I'm thinking off writing something else…


	6. Killing is Necessary

Yer! Yer! I've hit the ten review mark! I finally have my 2 digits (90 more to go for the 3 digits!!!). Well…I kinda figured out why peeps don't reed this fic. It's because there isn't any romance yet (Yeah I figured it out alone. I should've started with a romance story to build my reputation…). Well neways _lil-asian-cherry_ since I got my tenth review and I'm happy; I decided to introduce Sakura in this chapter. There won't be any fluff until a while though...But I'm planning to make to get it going sometime soon. I just don't like the idea of fluff without a plot. And thanks to all of the others who've reviewed so far especially, even if I'm repeating myself, _Wolf-Jade (And _thx!!! The funny thing is that on my b-day they started 16th season of the Simpsons and they were airing this new show called 6teen.I was like woaaa I'm special!)And to the people who read this story but don't review… (I know who you are so you better watch your backs. Just kidding lol! Ya thx for taking time to read my story at least.).For those who are wondering why I'm updating today, it's 'cause my teachers are on a strike this morning so…I have no school (Tche! they made me miss gym). Well…Ummm this is it R&R.

_Disclaimer: _I won't write any of these from now on…I already told you I don't own the thing.

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**Killing is Necessary**

**_Li's P.O.V_**

"_Greetings Li-sama, my name is Silver Fang." _The voice still rang into my ears. Where in the world could it be coming from? Had I lost my mind?!

"Looks like you won this time Li-kun." I looked down to find Clow collapsed on the ground. He looked exhausted, His robes were torn and he was covered with dirt.

"You weren't kidding when you said you'd get revenge for the training! I barely managed to block this blast." He sat up and grinned cheekily.

"The bond between the sword and you is already that strong. You really surpassed me Li-kun. I have nothing left to teach you…" Clow nodded approvingly and looked back at our encampment.

So this was it…I still couldn't believe what was happening to me. This sword had talked to me… I looked at it. It gleamed in the sunlight.

"_I am the spirit of the sword Silver Fang and this is the howling blade. Your wish is our command Li-sama."_

"What are you exactly?!" It really could talk after all. At least I could still hear its voice ringing into my head.

"Ahem Sorry to interrupt you conversation but I'd like to show Li-kun one last thing." He was up now but still looked somewhat scruffy.

"Reed-sensei…"

"Don't worry it's nothing dangerous." He said catching the suspicious glint in my eyes.

I sighted dejected, he always had something unexpected up his sleeves. I wondered what it was this time. He wouldn't try something dirty would he…

"Are you coming or not?" He was already at the edge of the forest and he kept walking and soon disappeared between two bushes.

After deliberating for a couple of seconds I decided to run after him. Nothing bad could happen now, now could it? He wasn't too far ahead and I caught up to him easily. He seemed to be sulking for some reason and didn't even notice me coming next to him. We walked for what seemed to me like hours. The silence was unbearable. Why was he so silent all of a sudden? He said he'd be able to rest when he was done with us no? Why wasn't he at least a little happy? This man sure loved to take people on long walks. In a way, I knew that I'd miss this man. I had grown fond of him over the years. He was like my mentor and my guide throughout adversity. I hoped he'd be able to rest in peace.

"Here we are Li-kun…" I looked around me and gasped. The scenery was truly dazzling; flowers covered completely the fields before us. Butterflies roamed going from one flower to another. The view was almost heavenly; I had the impression of being in the garden of Eden. Yet, these fields seemed oddly familiar to me. It wasn't possible though for I was sure I would've remembered seeing such scenery. Yes, I had seen these hills and trees somewhere before…

"Don't you recognize it Li-kun? This was your training ground not too long ago. You laboured these fields for your physical training. This was an arid region before you worked here. Nothing could've possibly grown out of this soil without your hard work…"

"How…"

"Maybe it was thanks to your magic, maybe it wasn't. All I wanted to show is that in the end if you work hard enough, anything is possible. But watch out and expect the unexpected."

"Reed-sensei you're vanishing!" I screamed noticing that he was missing his feet.

"Ah…It's already happening…"

"How…"

"Listen to me Li-kun, I've already informed the others of your victory. They should be ready to go by now. You should be able to leave right away." He was almost gone now and only his face was visible.

"What about you Sensei?!" I hadn't expected him to leave so suddenly. Heck! I had even expected him to follow them to some extent.

"Don't worry, I'll be there if you need me. And don't forget expect the unexpected." With those last words he completely vanished. He was really gone now…I felt sad for some reason.

"Li-sama!!!"

I turned around to see my companions running my way. I noticed that they had bags slung over their shoulders. He was prepared everything even his departure… I sighed and made my way towards my travelling companions. There was nothing left here for us. We had to hurry back to the capital.

"Kensuke we'll be departing immediately. We'll cross the river bank and travel along the eastern frontier. We should save a week or so by doing so… Where are Yue and the pip-squeak?" They weren't with him and I wondered where they had gone off to.

"They said something about paying their respects to Reed-sensei. Where is he by the way? I didn't get a chance to thank him for his training,"

"He's gone. You won't be able to find him…" I said heading back to the first place that came to my mind, the shack.

"Unh? Wait up Li-sama!!" He shouted running after me.

**Somewhere…Far Away…**

"So they are on the move again…" The dark figure asked from its throne.

"Yes my lord! They're heading for the north. My sources say that they plan on following the northern frontier to the capital." Seki answered quickly.

"Is that so…" Seki looked up at his master. He watched puzzled as an evil smirk made its way on his dark features.

"I want you to take your troops in Ratae…You will take the main road and stop when you reach the Huan river. Tell them to wait there for a royal carriage. I want you to capture the occupants of that carriage and exterminate their escort. Watch out, the soldiers of the Kinomoto kingdom are fierce warriors. I want you to act quickly and efficiently, do not let any them escape! The death of the Cherry Blossom at the hand the Li's will surely fuel this war." He muttered grimly.

"_What exactly are you trying to do my lord…"_

"Why are you standing here like that, move it you idiot!" The dark figure hissed dangerously.

"Of course my lord, I will take flight if his Excellency allows it." Seki answered scrambling out of the room.

"Excellent! Every piece of the game is in place, Xiao-Lang, may the best win!"

**Kingdom**** Of ****Ratae**

Sakura looked outside the carriage at the scenery along the road. She had never gone out of the Kinomoto Kingdom before and she was excited to see all these new things. Still, she wondered why she was here in the first place. His father had said something about a diplomatic mission but she knew that the Kings were usually the ones taking care of such things. Something was fishy here…She had a feeling it had something to do with her marrying a certain Rataen prince. Her father had tried by all means to get her to marry that idiotic and arrogant man. She was really getting tired of it. Couldn't he understand that she wanted to marry her beloved? The mysterious amber-eyed man that haunted her dreams lately. Her brother made fun of her when she talked to him about the dreams. He said that maybe his father was right to marry her off after all; that she was desperate for love. They didn't understand her… It sounded serious this time though. Even Touya had decided to leave for Ratae. Speaking of him she wondered where he was at the moment, probably already in the capital waiting for her. He had left one week before her after all, _to warn the Rataens of the arrival of the kaiiju _he said.

"I just hope Father isn't trying to force me into marriage." She though gloomily.

_FLASHBACK_

Sakura walked in the halls of the Kinomoto Castle. She was looking for her father. She hadn't seen him or her brother that day and found it curious that no one wanted to tell her where they where and what they where up to. She had her little idea of what they where doing though. There was only one place left where she hadn't looked for them. She was heading on the way to her father's library now.

"This is the only place where they can be…I've looked everywhere else. I'll catch them scheming this time." Sakura carefully made her way in front of the library. She turned the doorknob slowly trying to be as silent as possible and tip toed in the room. She heard two familiar voices behind the bookshelves, she couldn't quite understand what they where saying but she nearly jumped when she heard her name. They were talking of her after all! Dread overtook her when she heard the name of the Rataen prince. She stumbled back and rammed into a nearby chair. The voices raised and she heard them making their way towards her.

"They will find me before I have the opportunity to spy on them…"

"Ah Sakura it's only you. You scared us Kaiiju we almost thought you where an assassin." Her brother said relieved.

"Mou! Touya stop calling me that! I'm not a child anymore" She said pouting.

"It's funny we where just talking about you Sakura-chan. I have something very important to tell you." Fujitaka, king of the Kinomotos stepped from behind his son to look at his daughter.

"Tou-san…?"

"I want you to leave for Taeguki.next week. Your brother will arrange that everything is ready for you there. He'll leave tonight." Sakura looked at her brother shocked. He was okay with this! She thought desperately, was there any hope for her? Her brother was her only ally when it came to the arrange marriage. She was sure she'd be forced into this now.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan it's only a diplomatic mission. I won't force you to marry the prince. You know that I only want what's best for you."

"I know Otou-san…" She said feeling miserable all of a sudden.

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura woke up from her dream when she felt the carriage shake. She looked outside to find the source of the commotion. The sight that greeted her terrified her. She screamed when she saw her escorts pierced with arrows and swords. They hanged lifeless from their saddle blood gushing out of their wounds. She felt dizzy and darkness slowly took her over. The world around her slowly disappeared until all was left where those intense amber eyes. She fell asleep lured in these ochre pools.

**North of the Huan river…**

"Whoa what is it Ping…?" Li exclaimed feeling his horse's edginess.

"It can't be…." He turned to see Kero as blank as a sheet. He had never seen him so terrified something was really wrong…

"What's wrong with you two? You really are scaring me." I patted Ping's flank trying to calm him down. Seeing that he was starting to relax I looked up at the guardian beast to find out what was wrong. To my surprise, he had already flown off and was a couple of metres away from us.

"Hey! Wait up what about the others! We need to warn them before leaving like this!" Riding after him, I noticed that he was headed for Ratae. This was bad news, the Rataens had always wanted the Li Kingdom, and these barbaric folks could very well use their intrusion as an excuse to attack them. He knew that they would be the first to attack them if he ever declared war against the Kinomotos.

"Watch it baka! You're headed into unknown territory this isn't safe! The Rataens will skin us if they find us on their land!" I shouted trying to get the attention of the sun guardian but, to no avail. Either he was too preoccupied to hear me or he was just ignoring me. What was it that made him react this way?

"My mistress is in danger!" He exclaimed as if coming out of a trance.

"What…Your mistress is a Rataen!! Those apes barely know any magic!"

"No she's no Rataen…Still I wonder what she could be doing there. Kami-sama please protect Sakura!" He picked up the pace. He went at such speed that I was barely to keep up with him. I sighted and whistled Ping. He came up to my level almost instantly. I quickly jumped on the saddle and pried him to pick up the pace. Keroberos flew swiftly before us wheezing past the trees and bushes. We had already crossed the river separating the two kingdoms and luckily we hadn't run into any guards or patrol. I knew this region fairly well for my father always used to take me to Ratae when we where still friendly countries.

"_Before the retreat of the barbarians and the dominion of the Kinomotos_" I thought bitterly.

Why was he going straight for the main road of all places! He really wanted to get us killed! We where almost out of the forest.

"Wait!" he had stopped flying and he signalled me to stay low. I crawled up next to him to look at whatever he had seen. I felt my stomach churn when I saw the butchered bodies of soldiers dispersed on the road in the middle of the road. Who could've done such a thing!? The cadavers had been torn to shreds, arms and legs laid a little everywhere on the trail. I also noticed a wrecked carriage not too far from the bodies and from the looks of it; I could tell that it had carried someone really wealthy.

"Thiscould be the work of bandits…I heard the Rataen crooks were pretty ruthless"

"This carriage…She was here after all…Where is she!" He howled desperately.

"Don't worry they just left and since you didn't find your mistresses body around here, they must've taken her with them to have fun tonight…" The very taught frightened me…Who knows how traumatizing it would be for this girl…I suddenly felt concerned for her safety.

"H..how do you know they left not too long ago?!" He stuttered trying to regain his composure.

"The bodies of the soldiers are still warm and the tracks leaving this road are still fresh…"

"YOU TOUCHED THE BODIES…!!!"

"How else could if find out about this!?" I snapped back at him. It was also hard on me, I was sure now that I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight…Poor souls, maybe we should bury them…The very taught of retrieving their missing appendices dissuaded me from doing so. I wasn't familiar enough with death yet to touch these cadavers like that.

"We should run after them they shouldn't be too far ahead. Let me send a messaged to Kensuke first. Ping should be able to lead them to us…Who knows how many bandits there really are." I called Ping and quickly took out a feather and ink. I looked from the corner of my eye to see Keroberos sweatdropping.

"Well…I'm prepared for any eventuality…"

I wrote the note and sent Ping off. I watched him disappear in the woods and turned back to take a better look at the tracks.

"Hmmm…I was right, we probably arrived moments after their departure. They left for the woods but, they're not headed inland, they are travelling along the border and…This direction…It will lead them out of Ratae and in Asturia, the blue mage's Kingdom. Why would bandits come all the way here just to attack a noble…?"

"Unless they're not bandits…"

"Why wouldn't they be baka? Are you sure you mistress doesn't have any enemies?"

"_Well except you I can't find anyone else_" He snickered at the thought. Boy he'd be surprised if he where to find out who they where looking for…

"I'm serious! Why are you snickering like an idiot."

"We should go after them or we might lose them." Kero exclaimed remembering that his mistress was still missing

"I guess you're right but we'll need to stay low. Got it?"

"Let's go already"

"sigh there he goes again." I ran after him. We entered the forest. I hadn't been in these parts before and I wasn't familiar with my surroundings. I carefully examined our surroundings and mentally drew a map of the forest for later use. We followed the tracks up to a river. They hadn't walked too far away from the road before settling down to rest. Smoke rose in the sky a little further ahead. They where just metres away from us, I gestured the zealous bear to keep quiet, someone was coming our way.

"Why won't the general let us have some fun with the girl?" The two man where soldiers or at least dressed as soldiers. To his surprise, the prince noticed that they were wearing Kinomoto uniforms. Angered now coursed through his veins, he had only one idea in mind and that was to jump on these murderers and tear them apart. He forced himself to calm down and tried to focus on their conversation.

"_Kinomoto soldiers!__ What in the world is happening here. Are they really Kinomotos? I knew something was fishy with this attack…_" Keroberos peered at the prince, for some reason, he loathed the Kinomotos. He'd try to find out more about it later on. If there ever was a later on of course…

"You know him; he's so considerate that he'd prefer having her _away from us_. That sly dog just wants her for himself. Who wouldn't understand him; I've never seen such a beautiful girl before."

"Do you think he's going to kill her right away or after he's had his fun?"

"What kind of a man wouldn't want to deflower this beauty?" The two soldiers laugh noisily. That was enough for the young prince; they were just like in his nightmares. The Kinomotos were heartless beasts who took pleasure in seeing the others suffer. He drew Silver Fang out of its sheat. The blade shined dangerously as if trying to channel the raging emotions of its owner. Keroberos watched captivated as the boy leaped on the two surprised man, screaming like a barbarian.

"What the h…argh!" He barely had the time to realise what was happening to him that the sword was already deep in his throat. He fell with a thud on the ground choking in his own blood. His mate snarled and drew his blade. He charged the prince.

"Why you!" He swung his sword at the prince's head. Li used his blade to deflect the blow and he thrust himself right in front of the soldier.

"You will die bastard…" The soldier panicked, the prince's eyes were glowing harshly. _That man is dangerous_, he thought terrified! He turned his back on him and made a run for it.

"Face death like a man you coward!" Li dashed after him. He moved at an unreal speed and caught up to the soldier almost instantly. The man face scrunched up completely twisted by fear. He bent to his knees and begged for mercy. The prince stayed deaf to his pleas and slowly rose his weapon.

"No pity for the fiends." With those words he struck the man with his steel, stabbing him straight in the heart. He gave one last squeak and fell to the ground, dead.

"You didn't need to kill him ya know…" Keroberos whispered sadly.

"I didn't what! These men were monsters! Did they spare the women and children when they attacked the village! Did they listen to their pleas and screams? No! They only killed again, again and again! That's all they're able to do, wretched Kinomotos." Keroberos shrunked under the prince's icy glare, his eyes flashed; he radiated with magic.

"What did you want me to do?! If I'd let him go he would've warned his friends."

"That's not the poin..."

"Are you coming or not?" The prince asked already walking towards the camp.

"O well…There's no way through that boy sight" He quickly flew off after him. They moved silently between the trees, careful not to make any noise. The camp wasn't too far ahead so they managed to get there quickly enough. They circled the camp trying to find a good spying spot. They finally settled down on a hill not too far from the settlement. The watched silently trying to find out more about those soldiers.

**In the Encampment**

"Hmmm" Sakura woke up to find herself in a tent. She slowly got up trying to get a better view of her surroundings.

"You're finally awake I see." She turned around to see a red-eyed man standing in front of the tent's entrance. He held in his hand a bottle of water. He walked in the tent and headed for the table that was right next to her. The red-head poured some water in a glass and handed it to her.

"Aren't you thirsty?" She hesitated for moment and decided to take the water. She was parched, she gulped down the glass of water and muttered and "thank-you" to the man.

"Where am I? Who are you? Did you save me from the assassins? "

"Not quite Kinomoto-hime…My name is Seki, Garland." He fumbled with a couple of papers on the desk and turned his attention back to her.

"In fact I received the order to kill you."

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****Male Author**

_Born to be the champ, after the girls that is…_

So how was it? Personally I really had fun writing this one. The battle scenes were a pain to write but I think I got it right. Sakura's in this now! And they'll meet in the next chappie! It completely changed the plot of that story but I guess it'll help me get new readers. I've been thinking of starting another story lately. A romance story to be exact but I'm scared to neglect this fic the other one works out better than this story. So maybe I won't start it yet…I don't have much to say except REVIEW NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	7. Syaoran

Yay winter break! I'm free for almost 2 months! OMG we hit another record on the review department for the last chapter (4 reviews…). I got twice as much for the first chap of my other fic but o well… I guess that's thepower ofromance… Well umm _Wolf Jade _about the Seki thing…I really didn't know what his name meant since I basically took the name from an anime I really liked (Tokyo U.). Guys I wanted to ask all the readers if you find this fic too violent. I was wondering if I should lift the rating to R. I thank everyone who reviewed last chapter especially _lilasiancherry_ (You're the second person to review twice for this fic after the supreme reviewer _Wolf Jade)_. I only have one thing to say…KEEP IT UP! What was that thing about the quote?

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**Syaoran**

"In fact I received the order to kill you…" Sakura tensed when he finished his sentence. He was really after her then… She wondered why he had bothered to take her in this tent and talk to her like that. Was he really a bad guy or was he just trying to frighten her?

"_Maybe he just wants to have his way with me before following his orders._" The very thought frightened her. She looked at him straight in the eyes. He didn't have the eyes of a murder but in this situation she knew she couldn't listen to her judgement. She followed his every step as he walked up in front of her and lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. She winced preparing herself for the inevitable.

"_Chuckle_" The sound of his soft laughter completely surprised her. He had a beautiful smile…

"Don't worry…I won't harm you in anyway. I just wanted to hide you from my men. Who knows what they'd do to you if I left her highness unguarded.

"Have we met…?" She dared to ask feeling more and more comfortable with this man.

"One could say that…" He answered vaguely. He looked dazed for a moment then snapped out of it to look at the princess.

"Looks like your prince's here to save you…The little wolf is bold, he charges the camp even thought he knows he's completely outnumbered." Almost instantly screams and battle cries were heard outside of the tent.

"I won't interfere this time Kinomoto-Hime… I'll let the prince win this time…" He muttered picking up his sword. He gave her one last glance before venturing outside the tent.

"No matter what happens do not get out before he comes to get you…" With those last words he disappeared outside the tent. Sakura stared incredulously at the exit. Who was he? She was so worked up trying to figure out what had just happened to even notice the ruckus out of the tent.

"Gaki! Wait up!" Keroberos shouted after the berserk prince. He had gone completely mad after seeing the soldier's bloody swords piled up next to a tent. Kero noticed the change in his aura when he lost his mind. The once green aura was slowly changing… Even his sword seemed to react differently to his touch.

"Gaki! I'll look for my mistress while you distract them…" The prince didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence as he dashed down the hill screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I will kill you all! Bastards!" By now the soldiers had noticed the screaming boy, they where surptised at first. Some of them started laughingat him; what kind of a crazy boy would charge thirty men alone screaming like a mad man?

"I'll get him!" One of the soldiers snarled picking up the bloodiest sword. The other men smirked looking at the running boy. He would be torn to shreds by Rajin the Barbarian. They all started to laugh noisily, went back to their spots next to the fire and installed themselves comfortably to get a good look at the scene.

"I'll give you a good show! I'll try not to kill him too fast!" Rajin barked lifting his sword. His companions screamed approvingly. Some were actually already placing bets on how long Rajin would take to tear the boy in pieces.

"RAAAAH!" Rajin looked back in the direction of the prince to find him already steps away from him. He suppressed a surprised yelp and quickly raised his sword to slice the prince in half. Li saw right through his technique and quickly leaped over him. He somersaulted and landed behind him. In less then a second, he turned around neatly chopping Rajin's head off his shoulders. He didn't evengive hima chance to see what was coming at him.

"It's your turns now…" The prince whispered his eyes glowing strangely. He picked up Rajin's head and threw it in the fire. The other soldiers watched shocked, the head roasting in the hot flames.

"Argh!" One of the soldiers squealed horrified by the sight. The soldier's scream seemed to wake his companions from their daze. They panicked and scrambled to get their swords but it was already too late the raging prince was already up at their level…

"It's over now…" Keroberos whispered in the princess' ears reassuringly. They were oblivious to the commotion outside the tent too happy to see each other to even bother paying attention to the cries.

"What happened here? Why are your abductors dressed as Kinomotos?" Kero asked seriously.

"They were!" She gasped, this was really serious then…

"How did you get here? Are you the prince Seki told me about? Where were you all this time? How did you get past the soldiers?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

"Wow wow calm down Sakura! You mean you knew we were here all along?" He asked surprised.

"Well…Seki told me you would come and get me…" She answered puzzled.

"Who's that Seki where is he? He must have magic since he sensed the gaki's presence! Heck, I wonder why you even needed us to get out of this mess…Why didn't you use the cards to protect yourself!"

"Mou! Kero you just found me and you're already starting to scold me!"

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan but you really scared me back there… I really thought you were gone…" He answered sadly.

"Don't worry Kero! Seki took good care of me." She chirped trying to lighten the mood.

"Who's that Seki you keep on talking about!"

"It's a long story I'll tell you about it when we're out of this place." Keroberos' little eyes widened remembering the situation they where in. The boy wouldn't be able to hold them out any longer…

"Wait Kero something's wrong I sense a weird aura outside…" Kero stopped moving and tried to pick up what his mistress was sensing. He noticed that there weren't anymore shouts outside. What was happening out there? Had they neutralised the prince already!

"_I have to help him! It's my fault he got stuck there in the first place!_" Kero thought panicking. He quickly flew out of the tent ignoring his mistress' questioning glance. The sight that awaited him when he got to the middle of the encampment completely surprised him…

"Kero why did you run off like th…..HOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEE!" Sakura screeched noticing the bloody scene in front of her. A man with is back turned to them stood over a pile of cadavers. He was covered in blood and dark light was radiating out of his sword.

"H..he's the one Kero, the one with the weird aura. It would be wise to get out of here before he notices us." Sakura whispered keeping an eye on the dark figure.

"He did it again…" Kero sighed and flew up to the dark figure.

"Kero watch out he's dangerous!" Sakura hissed.

"Gaki! Why'd you have to barge in here and slay them all! You say they're monsters and run around butchering them like a demon." The prince slowly turned around to glare at the flying bear. His eyes flashed dangerously and his tousled hair raised up on his head. The dark auraaround around him thickened.

"Don't you dare compare me to this worthless scum!" He screeched pointing at the dead bodies all around him. He completely turned around to get a better look at his companion keeping his burning glare on him.

"Didn't your mother teach any manners gaki! You're scaring the lady!" The prince's gaze shifted from the sun guardian to the _damsel in distress_ (AN: Special quote from _Tigerissakura's_review. I couldn't stop myself here so I had to write this. And no Sakura won't be weak but she won't be stronger than Li either.). She was the incredibly beautiful. An almost angelic halo surrounded her and her unusual green eyes glowed almost as intensely as the fire behind him.

"I guess I overdid it this time…" He muttered finally calming down. He walked towards them his bare sword still in hand.

"They really got you this time…" Kero whistled getting a better look at the boy.

"Don't worry it's not my blood. They didn't stand a chance against me! I'll get back to this little pondwe saw while getting here. You can follow me if you want… I need to get rid of all this blood." He walked away heading back into the forest.

"Hey Gaki wait up! You know I can't find my way in these woods." He shouted after him. He turned around smirking. Sakura stared at him incredulously; he was a completely different person now. Did he have some kind of double personality? And those eyes…She knew she had seen them somewhere before she just couldn't figure out where…

"Are you coming or not! I sense Yue and the others they're almost here! I want to meet up with them before they can come and to see this." He looked disgusted with himself all of a sudden.

"Gaki…" Kero turned back to look at his mistress.

"We really should follow him. As much as I hate to admit it he's the only one who can protect you right now."

"Is it really okay with him…?" She asked looking at the young man.

"He's a good kid; just don't tell him that you're a Kinomoto thought…He hates them for some reason…"

"Hoe?"

"Let's go Sakura-chan he really won't wait for us you know! Aya, its getting reallydark! I guess I have no choice…" Kero started to glow as a magic circle formed itself under him. His wings sprouted out of his back to completely envelop him. The wings parted to reveal a transformed Kero.

"We don't have time Sakura-chan! Climb on my back you won't be able to walk around in that dress of yours." He urged her to get on his back and quickly flew after the prince.

**On the outskirts of the encampment**

"Do you think we're safe now?" One soldier asked breathlessly.

"I don't think he'll come and look for us around here…" The other answered panting.

"So you managed to get out of this hell hole…Impressive" A voice whispered in the darkness

"He found us!" The soldiers panicked and quickly raised their swords trying to figure out where the enemy was.

"Calm down men it's only me…" Seki stepped out of the darkness. He looked injured and his uniform was stained with blood.

"You're injured commander! Did you fight the demon-boy?" One of the soldiers asked.

"He's stronger than I expected him to be…" The two soldiers nodded approvingly.

"_He might even be stronger than milord…_" Seki thought

"You two will have to report this to his Excellency. I have one last thing I must do…" The two soldiers gasped.

"You're injured Seki-sama let us take care of it!" The two men chorused.

"No! You will follow my orders and report to his Excellency!"

"Yes Sir!" They quickly scrambled off to get their horses.

"I guess I'll have to send this to the Ratean prince…" He whispered to himself. He walked off in the opposite direction and quickly disappeared in the dark woods.

**Back to the stream…**

"What happened to you Li-sama? You're not injured are you? Queen Yelan will have my head if you are!" Kensuke exclaimed noticing the prince's bloody clothes.

"_He's a prince!_" Sakura thought awed

"And who is she?" He asked noticing the girl a little far back behind the prince.

"That's something I'd like to know too" The prince said turning to get a better look at her.

"Hoe…?" Sakura squirmed under their gaze.

"She's the daughter of an Asturian merchant. He's really wealthy; you'd even take him for a king!" Kero intruded before she said anything that would endanger her.

"Is that so? Why would a merchant's daughter be escorted by the Kinomoto Royal Guards" The prince asked suspiciously.

"_That gaki even noticed that!_" Keroberos thought alertly.

"Well…I told you his father was like royalty…He sells items to the different Royalties." Keroberos stumbled.

"I am royalty and I've never heard of this merchant of yours…What's her name anyways?"

"Where are your manners gaki! You don't ask for the name of a Lady that way! Heh I'm sorry to pop your bubble but the Li kingdom isn't fit for this type of refinement!"

"Can't you let her talk for herself fluffy?" He hissed visibly ticked off.

"What are y…"

"It's ok Kero I think he's right. You should let me present myself." Sakura objected regaining the attention of everyone. She squirmed a little under the prince's intense gaze but quickly recovered.

"My name is Kino…erm…Kino, Sakura." She blurted out.

"Kino…Never heard of it before…" Kensuke thought out loud. Li seemed thoughtful for a second but finally snapped out of it and finally walked up in front of Sakura. He bent down on his knees and delicately took the blushing princess' hand planting a soft kiss on it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you princess…My name's Li Xiao-Lang, Heir of the Li kingdom." He said getting back up. Sakura's and Keroberos eyes widened. They were in big trouble! He had figured out who she really was!

"What are you trying to do gaki? I won't allow you to touch my mistress." Kero exclaimed rising to his mistress' defence.

"Calm down fluffy! You're the one who told me I wasn't refined enough and now that I prove you wrong you go mad! You really need to make up your mind."

"Heh…?" Kero sighed relieved. He hadn't figured it out yet…

"What is it? You both look a little pale…Is their something wrong." Keroberos sweatdropped, he was getting suspicious…

"_Xiao-Lang, Little Wolf…_Syaoran…"

"What…?" The prince asked hearing the girl mumble something.

"N…no it's nothing…" Sakura stuttered

"…"

"What're you planning to do from now on gaki…?" The guardian beast asked trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Well I was planning to get back to the Li Kingdom as soon as possible but now that we found your mistress I don't know what to do from here…Maybe we should escort her?" He said looking thoughtful.

"No! I'll go with you!" Sakura shouted before she could stop herself.

"Hmmm…?" He said focusing on her again.

"Don't you have people waiting for you…? Your parents must be worried." He pointed out.

"Mou! They sent me there to get married with the dull Ratean prince. I have no one waiting for me there but that power hungry buffoon and my idiot of a brother." She answered emotion taking her over. She clamped her mouth shut when she noticed what she had just said. If looks could kill she'd be dead and buried by the glare Kero was giving her.

"Since when do commoners marry with Royalty? Or is this another custom I've never heard of?" He said snickering.

"I guess it doesn't really matter...You made your point. I have no reason not to take you with us. It'll save me the trouble of escorting you further in Ratean territory."

"Li-sama we should depart before nightfall…It wouldn't be safe to camp here tonight." Kensuke said hesitantly.

"You're right, we'll take the princess with us then…" He said looking at her up and down. She blushed feeling his piercing gaze.

"We should do something about those clothes though…Kensuke do you have anything that could fit her?" He asked his companion.

"Yes Li-sama I might have something for her…" He answered fumbling in his bags.

"There!" He exclaimed triumphantly pulling a white shirt and pants out of his bag.

"You should wear those before we leave. It'll be easier for you to move around than with this frilly dress."

"Yes…of course…" She answered taking the clothes he was giving her.

"Where should I change…?" She asked herself looking around

"There's a small cave not too far from here. Kero will show you the way there." he answered when he heard her.

"Hurry up we don't have a lot of time before blackout."

"Yes uhm…"

"What is it Kino-san?"

"Ano…uhm…What should I call you your highness…?" She asked him shyly.

"You can call me whatever you like!" Her eyes brightened at his answer. She clamped her hands and squealed with glee.

"Sugoi! Syaoran-kun!" She chirped skipping off with Kero following closely behind.

"Syaoran?" The prince asked clueless.

"I think it's your name translated in Japanese…" Kensuke replied.

"Japanese is the official language of the Kinomotos isn't it?" He asked absentmindedly.

"Yes I believe it is…Why are you asking Li-sama?"

"No it's nothing…"

"_I must be wrong…_"

**Somewhere…Far away…**

"…and he finished them all of!" The two soldiers exclaimed to the dark figure.

"Hmmm…and you two managed to escape…?" The dark figure suggested bending up to get a little closer.

"Yes your highness!" The two men chorused.

"Impressive…"

"Hey you two there! I want you to bring captain uniforms for these two fine soldiers." He shouted at the two guards standing at the entrance.

"Captains…No it's too much your highness"

"Of course it's not my dear friends…Soldiers that managed to survive Li's wrath completely have my esteem. You will need this luck when you lead my troops to the Li Kingdom!" The dark figured howled.

"T…the Li Kingdom! Yes your highness!"

"I only need Seki to finalize everything for me now." The shadow snickered.

**Taeguki ****Castle**

"WHAAAAT!" Touya screamed slamming his fist on the desk.

"Your sister was abducted by the Lis your highness." A Seki dressed in a Ratean uniform repeated.

"What about her escort…I mean she had 15 of the best men of the royal guard with her! Why would the Lis take her! They know they can't take us on!" He babbled incoherently.

"The battalion has been completely obliterated sir. I sought soldiers to go and pick up the cadavers. There was no sign of her highness within the perimeter. I only found this cloth with the Li crest sewed on it." Seki said handing the cloth to the enraged prince.

"I told you those Lis were up to no good! Yet you didn't listen; now that your sister was taken away will you have it my way?" The prince of the Ratean Kingdom, Sato, sneered.

"What can we do about it now…She was abducted there's no way to get her back but …"

"Yes Touya-kun the only way is war! My armies should be able to completely crush them in less than week! I only need your authorisation to unleash my troops on them…" Sato urged.

"If it's the only way to get my sister back, let there be war!"

**

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**Male Author**

_Born to be the champ, after the girls that is…_

Woot this is short! That'll do I'm tired now… I typed the entire chapter listening to the Gundam Seed song "Invoke" over and over again! I'm primed! It's a Seed nation peeps! Ya…and…uhm…for the next chapter of the other story…I don't know when I'll update it 'cause I have all these parties… I don't really want to go but…If I don't everyone will be pissed off with me. So everyone R&R gimme a lil early Christmas gift!


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